Unexpected
by Orion9
Summary: A simple invitation to a royal coronation dinner sparks off an unforeseen series of events. Trip centric with a healthy dose of the other crewmembers. ::Complete::
1. The Invitation

A/N:  My very first fan-fic attempt. It also took me a while to decide whether to post this or not as the concept was originally planned for another story (that and the fact that I'm worried that no one will like it). However, it somehow didn't work as well without the presence of a certain Chief Engineer we all know and love. So, should you ever come across a storyline that seemed vaguely familiar the next time, only without the Enterprise crew, you know why.

A/N2:  When I wrote this, we've just reached Season Two's episode _Marauders_. Any similar plot, planets, characters, etc, is purely coincidental. This has also not be beta-read so all mistakes are mine. Sorry!

Feedback: Yes, please…It's the only way to improve…

Disclaimer:   Unfortunately, I do not own anything here except for a planetful of Zenandrians, so please don't sue me. However, I will gladly trade it for a certain Chief Engineer. Well, any takers?

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**Chapter One**

The Mid Hall, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

1545 hours

Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III took a deep breath and let it out in a soft whoosh. He was bored. The collar of his dress uniform also felt as if it was getting tighter by the minute. He looked around, trying to ignore the urge to unbutton the collar and head straight out the door for the shuttlepod, ceremony or no ceremony. He peeked surreptitiously at the time. When are they coming out? They have been waiting here for least an hour now.

"Something wrong, Commander?" Sub-Commander T'pol's voice broke into his reverie.

"Hmm?" 

He looked at her distractedly, still lost in his own thoughts of a mad dash for Shuttlepod One.

"I asked," T'pol repeated patiently, "whether there was something wrong?"

"No… no," Trip replied, unconsciously tugging at his collar, "just wonderin' when they were plannin' to come out, that's all. Nothin's been happenin' for the past hour or so."

"The coronation process takes many hours," T'pol said with her usual calm. "I believe we may have to wait a while longer."

"Great…" Trip muttered under his breath. 

On his left, Hoshi was deep in discussion with the Zenandrian standing beside her. He looked to his right, past T'pol. At least Captain Archer seemed to be enjoying himself. Then again, the Captain could see what was going on in the great hall to the right of them. From where he's standing, all he could see was the right door. Trip gave another sigh and resigned himself to a long wait. 

"38, 39…" 

Beside him, T'pol arched an eyebrow. Commander Tucker was apparently counting the squares on the door… again. She thought that he would have managed to acquire the correct number by now, seeing that he had counted the same squares four times already. Every now and then humans can be extremely illogical, and Commander Tucker was no different – sometimes more, and have caused her many long hours of meditation.

"176, 177…"

Suddenly, the blare of trumpets caught Trip's attention. He looked at T'pol.

"The coronation ceremony is finally finished. They are coming out now," she said in answer to Trip's unspoken question. 

"I suggest that you get behind the red line, Commander."

Trip looked down and realised that he was standing on the red carpet-like material that stretched from inside the great hall to the doorway on the other end of the hall where they are in. With a slight flush, he quickly stepped back. 

Just in time, he thought to himself as the first of many Zenandrian officials walked out of the great hall. As they did, the officials stopped to shake the hands of those waiting in line. Trip looked curiously at them as they came nearer. So far, all they had seen were Zenandrian males. He wondered how the princess looked like. 

Enterprise had arrived at the green planet's orbit two days ago. Once they had established contact, Captain Archer was invited, along with three other crewmembers, to witness the coronation of the eldest royal princess. He had picked T'pol, Trip and Hoshi to complete the away team, leaving Malcolm in charge of the ship.

According to T'pol, the ruling power passes from the current monarch to his or her eldest child. After the coronation, the royal prince or princess will spend two years learning how to govern the planet under the tutelage of the current monarch, after which full power will be passed on to him or her. This coronation was slightly special, as it was the first coronation of a royal Zenandrian Princess in five hundred years. 

The Zenandrians even look human, mused Trip as the group walked nearer to where the Enterprise officers were standing. Except for those tiny green antennae sticking out of their heads, he amended silently. 

"And these are the officers of the starship Enterprise, an exploration vessel from the planet Earth," Dakr'a, the Zenandrian Prime Minister, said as they stopped in front of Captain Archer. 

"King J'ok, may I present to you her captain, Captain Jonathan Archer."

"Captain Archer."

"Congratulations on your daughter's coronation, Your Majesty," Archer replied, shaking the king's hand.

"Thank you, Captain. We are so glad you are able to join us," the king replied warmly. He continued, pride clearly in his voice. 

"This is my wife, Queen Mylir, my eldest daughter, Princess Xadria and my youngest child, Princess Xanindra." 

Three Zenandrian females stepped forward towards them, two adults and a young girl of about ten years of age. Trip's eyes widen in surprise as he got his first glimpse of the Zenandrian queen and princesses. He hadn't expected them to be so beautiful. They were petite and slim, with waist-length raven-black hair. A few other Zenandrian females stood slightly behind them. Beautiful as well, they too had tiny green antennae. However, as like King J'ok's, Queen Mylir and the princesses' antennae were blue.

Well, I'll be, Trip thought, delighted with his observation, they're colour-coded! He grinned at Hoshi. She smiled back uncertainly, perplexed at the sudden flash of teeth from the commander. She was about to ask him what was so funny when Captain Archer spoke again.

"Your Majesty, this is Sub-Commander T'pol, my Science Officer," Archer introduced.

"Ahh… welcome, Sub-Commander," King J'ok said with a smile, "it's been a while since the Vulcans have visited Zenandria. We're very glad to have you here with us today."

"Thank you, King J'ok," T'pol replied evenly. "It is indeed a great privilege to be present for Princess Xadria's coronation ceremony."

Archer continued, introducing Trip and Hoshi.

"This is Commander Charles Tucker, my Chief Engineer, and Ensign Hoshi Sato, my Communications Officer." 

King J'ok's smile widened. 

"Chief Engineer, eh? I bet you could fix just about anything."

"Well, not exactly everythin', Your Majesty, but I wouldn't mind givin' it a try," Trip grinned.

The jovial monarch laughed at his reply and turned to Hoshi. 

His turn in the spotlight over, Trip looked towards the other members of the royal family. He was a little startled to find Princess Xadria staring unblinkingly at his direction. Resisting the urge to turn around to see if there was someone else standing behind him, he gave her a tentative smile before turning his attention back to the king, who had just finished a conversation with Hoshi in the native Zenandrian tongue.

"You have a very talented crew, Captain Archer," King J'ok remarked.

Archer acknowledged the compliment with a smile and a word of thanks. 

With that, the royal entourage moved on to the next group waiting in line. Dakr'a turned to Archer.

"The royal family hopes that you and your crew will be free to attend the celebrations later this evening, Captain Archer."

Archer looked at T'pol. Will this be in violation any protocol? At her slight nod, he turned back to Dakr'a with a grin. 

"Thank you for the invitation. We will be honoured to come."  

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A/N3: Well? Please let me know if it is worth posting Chapter 2. Thanks! :)


	2. True Blue

A/N: I want to thank the five of you who read and reviewed Chapter One, especially for your encouraging words. Sorry for not posting earlier but I had to make some minor adjustments. Will start on the third chapter soon. Thanks for reading!

A/N2: This has not been beta-read so all mistakes are still mine. Sorry!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything. Still up for a trade though…[See Chapter One]

Feedback: Yes, please…It is the only way to improve…

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**Chapter Two**

The Great Hall, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

1840 hours

"Tell me, Commander Tucker," Princess Xadria asked suddenly, "are you presently pledged to anyone?"

Trip, who had just taken a sip of his drink, choked in mid-swallow. His eyes watering, he frantically tried to still the fit of coughing. Beside him, T'pol's expression remained impassive although her eyebrow rose slightly. 

The Enterprise officers were gathered, along with the rest of the guests invited for the evening's celebrations, at the Great Hall, while they waited for dinner to be served. Still slightly uncomfortable in his dress uniform, and feeling the start of a headache, Trip had decided to stand somewhat away from the crowd until it was time for dinner. Somehow, he had ended up beside T'pol at one corner of the room. But since she didn't talk much, he figured it wasn't a bad place to be. At least he wouldn't look too odd standing alone in a roomful of people. They hadn't been there long when Princess Xadria, accompanied by her group of all-female attendants, had joined them. 

Princess Xadria looked up at the young officer, concern in her gaze. 

"Commander Tucker, are you all right?"

Trip nodded in reply. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well?"

"Well, Your Highness, the answer's no," Trip responded, colouring a little. His voice was still a little hoarse from his coughing bout. "I'm not uh … pledged to 'nyone at the moment."

Xadria smiled to herself as she studied the attractive man standing in front of her, whom she found to be very appealing. She turned to her attendants. At her whispered comment, they broke into giggles, all the while staring openly at the Chief Engineer, who was in turn looking increasingly uncomfortable with each passing second. 

After a moment, the princess turned back to them. 

"I hope you will each enjoy the feast tonight. I will see you in the Royal Banquet Hall."

With a regal nod, she moved on to another group of guests. Trip shot T'pol a look.

"What was _that_ all 'bout?!" he demanded.

T'pol blinked at his tone, although her serene composure was still firmly in place. Commander Tucker seemed a little more irritable today than usual. She did not comment on this unnecessary display of emotion, however, and was about to answer him when Archer spoke up.

"C'mon, it's time to head for the Royal Banquet–"

He stopped short at the expression on Trip's face. 

"What happened?"

"It appears, Captain, that Princess Xadria have taken an interest to Commander Tucker."

"What?! Jus' 'cause she asked if I was attached to 'nyone doesn't mean that she's interested…," Trip trailed off. 

He looked to Archer for help. "Does it?"

"I believe the word she used was _pledged_, Commander," T'pol countered. "Zenandrians only use that exact word when they are expressing unadulterated interest in someone."

Trip stared at her, aghast. He turned to Archer, just in time to see his mouth twitch suspiciously.

"It ain't funny, Cap'n!" he protested.

"Sorry, Trip," Archer lifted his hand in apology. "It's not every day I get to see a friend propositioned by a princess. And a really beautiful one at that."

"Yeah, yeah, it's all real funny," Trip grumbled good-naturedly. 

He sighed. "Well, at least I'll have interestin' things to write 'bout if I ever decide to start on my memoirs."

"C'mon," Archer grinned, clapping him on the shoulder, glad to see that Trip's sense of humour was still intact. "It's time for dinner…. T'pol?"

He looked at her inquiringly when she didn't move.

"Captain, perhaps it would be better if Commander Tucker were to keep away from the princess for the rest of the evening."

"Now wait jus' a second here–"

"She's right, Trip," Archer interjected, eyeing the distant figure of the princess. "Let's get Hoshi and go in. We'll leave for Enterprise immediately after the feast."

The Royal Banquet Hall, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

1930 hours

Queen Mylir turned to the Enterprise officer seated next to her. 

"So, Sub-Commander T'pol, what is it like aboard Enterprise?"

At T'pol's right, Archer tried his best to not grin at her distinctly haunted expression. They had switched places earlier when it became clear that Queen Mylir, who turned out to be a stalwart supporter of space exploration, had more than a few questions to ask the sub-commander. He didn't think his Science Officer was too happy about being cornered into giving her views on women in space though.

However, Archer's smile slowly faded as he wondered how Trip and Hoshi were doing on their end of the table. Despite T'pol's suggestion that Trip keep his distance from the princess, Archer soon realised that things were not going to go as planned the moment they were escorted to the main table. 

Trip and Hoshi were seated on the left side, next to Princess Xadria, while he found himself and T'pol at the other end, on Queen Mylir's right. As all four officers were supposed to sit at the right side of the table, the change in the seating arrangement left Archer with a vaguely uneasy feeling that he hoped would be just that, and nothing more. 

"And what do you think, Captain Archer?"

Queen Mylir's voice broke into his thoughts. With an effort, Archer forced his attention back to the conversation at hand.

"Well, Your Majesty…"

* * * * *

On the other end of the table, Hoshi was enjoying herself immensely. _Glad I got the chance to come down here_, she thought happily, as Dakr'a taught her another ancient Zenadrian phrase. _The use of diphthongs in their language is simply amazing._

She turned to her right to share her thoughts with the commander but found him distractedly playing with his food instead. She frowned. Commander Tucker … or Trip … as he had kept insisting she called him, had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meal. She nudged him gently with her elbow, determined to find out why.

"Mmmm?"

"What's wrong?"

Trip stopped arranging the food on his plate and looked up at her in surprise. 

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, you have been really quiet, and you're not eating. Is something the matter?"

Trip studied the mangled remnants of food on his plate for a moment. He wondered briefly about sharing T'pol's crazy theory with Hoshi then decided against it. The princess has been nothing but gracious towards them throughout dinner.

"Well, y'know I ain't much a fan o' alien cuisine," he offered, grimacing slightly.

"It's not that bad. That purple … uhm … spongy thing over there is actually quite delicious. It also helps if you don't examine it too closely. Here, let me get you one."

Trip put out a hand to stop her as she did so.

"Thanks, Hoshi … but I'll jus' take your word for it. 'Sides, my headache's decided to have a party of its own so I'm not havin' much of an appetite right 'bout now." 

"Maybe we should leave–"

"No," Trip shook his head and winced when the throbbing increased marginally. "Look, the whole shindig is almost over, and we can leave then. Let the Cap'n and T'pol enjoy their meal."

"But…"

"Hoshi! Please…"

"Okay, okay …but if you feel any worse…"

On his right, Xadria smiled as she listened to Trip's whispered conversation with his shipmate. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop but the commander's articulation was … fascinating. By the end of the final course, the princess had made up her mind. She turned and nodded to one of her attendants, who went off and returned shortly with a wine goblet in each hand.

Accepting both goblets, Xadria held one out to Trip. After a moment's hesitation, he accepted it and looked doubtfully at the bright blue liquid it contained. He shot Hoshi a quick glance. She shrugged in reply, equally mystified. 

He turned back to the princess, and found that she had raised her goblet in a silent toast. Still unsure whether he should be doing this, Trip slowly raised his. 

"The _sher'lk_ must be drunk quickly, Commander Tucker, with one swallow," Xadria instructed. "Ready?"

At Trip's nod, she gently touched her goblet to his and drank. As Trip did the same, he caught the stunned look on T'pol's face.

_Uh oh, this can't be good …_

His thoughts were cut off in mid-sentence as the drink rapidly burned its way down to his stomach. All he could do then was to concentrate on keeping it down. That and whatever little he had managed to eat during dinner. The room spun crazily and he squeezed his eyes shut to minimise its nauseating effect. Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the strange sensations stopped.

He gasped and cautiously opened his eyes.

"Are you all right?" Hoshi whispered worriedly.

Trip nodded. 

"Think it just 'bout cured my headache," he said wryly. 

When he turned back to the princess, Trip found her preparing to leave the table. He quickly stood up when she did.

"Thank you, Commander Tucker. I will see you soon," Xadria smiled. She said goodbye to Hoshi and left with the goblets, leaving them staring after her in confusion.

"Commander…"

Trip turned to find T'pol beside his chair.

"I need you and Ensign Sato to come with me now."

Trip and Hoshi exchanged looks but silently left the table. T'pol led them out of the banquet hall into a small blue room, where they found Archer waiting there. 

"Cap'n?

"I think you'd better listen to what T'pol has to say, Trip."

Trip turned curiously to T'pol. 

"What was the colour of the drink you just had, Commander?" she asked. 

"Well, it was kinda bright blue."

Archer sighed and rubbed the back of his head with one hand. 

"I was afraid you might say that, Trip."

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"There is nothing wrong with the drink itself, Commander," T'pol responded impassively. "However, since you did consume it, it means that you have just consented to be one of the royal suitors." 

"Consented–? A royal what?" Trip asked, astonished. "Ya wanna run that by me again?"

"I think what T'pol meant was that you've just agreed to try for Princess Xadria's hand in marriage, Trip," Archer broke in dryly.

* * * * *

A muscle twitched on his otherwise expressionless features as he watched the princess and the alien visitor consume the ceremonial drink. _So, she would choose this … this … human over me! _He had never seen her express such an interest in anyone before, especially for one who was not a native of the planet. This man will make him the laughing stock of Zenandria should he be chosen in the final ceremony.He looked away, his eyes burning with hatred. _Guess I'll just have to make sure that she will pick no one else but me when the time comes..._


	3. Explanations

A/N: Woohoo!  A beta reader! Thanks, sis!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything. Still working on that…[See Chapter One]

Feedback: Yes, please…

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**Chapter Three**

The Sapphire Room, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

2145 hours

"Yer kiddin', right?"

Trip looked from his captain to T'pol then back to Archer again. Beside him, Hoshi's eyes were wide with mute surprise.

Archer shook his head. 

"I'm afraid not, Trip." 

Trip closed his eyes and gave an unsteady laugh. He then blew out a breath, crossed his arms and looked pointedly at T'pol.

"Would someone care to explain how'd this happened?"

"My knowledge of the Zenandrian royal traditions is minimal, Commander," she began. "However, I do know that the princess chooses her potential lifemate from five Royal Suitors, who will be pre-selected by herself or by any other member of the royal family during a certain period of time." 

"_Five_ men? And I thought dating one at a time was hard enough," Hoshi said to herself. She stole a peek at the Chief Engineer. _Poor Trip. He looks rather pale all of a sudden..._

"And Trip was selected…how?" Archer asked.

"These suitors are … informed … of their eligibility when they are offered the chance to partake the _sher'lk, _the bright blue liquid that Commander Tucker consumed a moment ago at the banquet hall."

"What?! For cryin' out loud…!" Trip exclaimed, still completely rattled by the revelation that he was in the running for a place in the Zenandrian royal family.

"The one chosen may, of course, decline the drink, unless he does so wish to court the princess."

"An' how was I s'pposed to know that?! It was jus' a strange drink with a weird name I couldn't ev'n pronounce!" Trip's southern accent was suddenly more prominent than ever as the volume of his voice slowly increased.

"Calm down, Trip," Archer said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"Not completely," T'pol agreed. "Although it would have been prudent not to accept drinks from strange women."

"Now wait just a da–"

"However," she interrupted him, "if blame must be assigned, the bulk of it should go to me."

Her answer left Trip open-mouthed in astonishment. Even Archer failed to conceal his surprise. 

"Princess Xadria's conduct in the Great Hall did give a strong impression that she was considering Commander Tucker's suitability as a Royal Suitor. However, I did not take those suspicions seriously," T'pol continued, unperturbed by their reaction.

"Why not?" Hoshi asked.

"There has never been an inter-species marriage in Zenandria, be it royalty or otherwise. I had assumed Princess Xadria merely wanted to make use of Commander Tucker's presence to arouse jealousy, perhaps in someone whom she is fond of but had declined to partake the ceremonial drinkwith her."

"Great…," Trip muttered darkly. "Now I'm jus' rebound guy?"

He shook his head at T'pol's questioning glance. 

"Never mind."

Archer remembered his uneasiness during dinner. He turned to T'pol.

"Our sitting arrangements in the banquet hall?"

"Yes, Captain, it would appear that they were intentionally arranged that way."

"She wanted the Sub-Commander out of the way because she was the only one among us who would've known what the drink signified," Hoshi said, shaking her head.

Trip glared at T'pol.

"You could've at least warned me!" he said accusingly. "Especially after all that … that _pledging_ back there in the Great Hall!"

"Pledging?" Hoshi repeated curiously.

"Yeah, a word of advice, Hoshi. If 'nyone here asks you if yer pledged to someone else, jus' say yes," Trip replied tersely, still glaring at T'pol. "It'll sure save you a whole lot of trouble."

"Perhaps it was an error of judgment on my part, Commander, but I did not wish to alarm you unnecessarily at the time. As I had mentioned before, I was unaware that Princess Xadria was able to partake the _sher'lk _with someone who was not Zenandrian."

"I know, I know," Trip sighed, his anger fading as fast as it had appeared. "It ain't really your fault…"

He suddenly brightened. 

"Well, let's just get outta here right now. Then–"

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," T'pol interjected.

"Why's that?"

"Because the moment a suitor is chosen, he will be placed under royal protection until the Ceremony of Choosing." 

T'pol indicated the main entrance of the room. Standing silently at attention there were two armed Zenandrian men in red and gold uniform.

"The Royal Zenandrian Guards," she clarified to her stunned audience.

Trip stared in disbelief at the men in question before turning back to the Sub-Commander.

"Yer tellin' me that I'm under guard?!"

"It is only for your own protection, Commander. Royal suitors have been known to … disappear … in the past under dubious circumstances. Due to this, they are now forbidden to leave the palace grounds until the ceremony is over."

"Oh … _Now_ there's also danger involved. This jus' keeps gettin' better and better, doesn't it?" Trip muttered to no one in particular. He sighed. 

"Are you absolutely sure there's no way I can get outta this?"

"I'm sorry, Commander. Not to my knowledge."

"So now what?"

"The Royal Guards will stay by your side until the ceremony is complete."

"And this happens…"

"The ceremony will take place in four days' time," T'pol finished evenly.

Trip's head, which had begun to droop slightly between his shoulders during the question and answer session, snapped up suddenly at T'pol's reply. Archer felt a rush of sympathy for his unfortunate friend. Being cooped up in the palace for the next few days and followed around by two huge Zenandrian guards was definitely not anyone's idea of a relaxing shore leave. 

"What about us?" Archer demanded. "Are we supposed to just leave him here?"

"I do not know, Captain. This situation has not arisen before."

"Never mind. Let's see if we could find Dakr'a and get some answers from him."

He turned to Trip. 

"You stay here with T'pol in case they decide to spring any other surprises on you. Hoshi and I will see what we can find out."

"We could all go, Cap'n."

Archer exchanged a quick look with T'pol and then shook his head.

"We could, Trip, but we'll be two people too many. I want to see if I could get them to bend some of their rules here without starting any rumours along the way."

Trip nodded glumly. He stood there silently until Archer and Hoshi had left the room.

"T'pol?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Uh… 'bout this Choosin' Ceremony bit…," Trip began reluctantly.

"I believe it is called the Ceremony of Choosing."

"Yeah… right… the Ceremony o' Choosing…"

There was a long pause.

"Your question, Commander."

A myriad of expressions crossed Trip's face as he struggled to find the right words. Finally, he let out a pent up breath and blurted it out.

"It doesn't involve 'nyone gettin' pregnant, does it?"

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A/N3:   For those of you who caught it: The ending and the title of the story – an honest coincidence. I already had this part in mind for some time before I even thought of the main title. No pun or whatsoever intended. :)


	4. Plans and Decisions

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own a thing but the planet so please don't sue.

Feedback: Always welcomed…

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**Chapter Four**

Captain's Ready Room

Enterprise

0730 hours

"He did what?!" Lieutenant Malcolm Reed exclaimed incredulously. "Sorry, sir," he added quickly, embarrassed by his slight outburst.

"That's all right, Malcolm," Archer bit back a smile. "As you were, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir," Malcolm complied with a soft sigh. He grimaced faintly. _How Mr Tucker always manages to get himself into these sorts of situations is beyond my comprehension. Then again, there was that Xyrillian ship …  and Risa … _

"No one else was allowed to remain in the palace except Trip and the other suitors," Archer's voice cut his musings short. "But they did agree to let him keep the UT."

"That was mighty … generous … of them."

"Yes … well, the Royal Family isn't too pleased with the whole incident either. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened before," Archer said, paying no attention to Malcolm's sarcastic tone. He too did not like being forced to leave a crewman behind, for whatever reason, even if it was for only four days. 

"What about the communicator and the phase pistol?"

Archer shook his head. 

"No outside contact allowed. And only guards at the palace are allowed to carry weapons."

"The Royal Guards assigned to Commander Tucker will ensure that he is protected at all times," T'Pol spoke up from beside Archer. As usual, she stood straight and deceptively relaxed, her hands clasped loosely behind her. Her striking features were devoid of any expression.

Malcolm nodded at the Sub-Commander's words but still looked doubtful.

"We experienced a slight problem locating and keeping track of your biosigns when the four of you were down there yesterday. But only during certain periods," he reported.

"That would be due to the solar flares from the planet's twin suns," T'Pol said.

Archer frowned slightly.

"Solar flares?"

"Yes, they take place several times a day and have been known to interfere with signals from orbiting ships." 

"Are they consistent?" he asked T'Pol. "Can we tell when they are going to take place?"

"Not exactly. The number of solar flares differs from day to day. However, we should be able to detect each, at least up to twelve hours in advance, before it occurs."

Archer nodded. 

"Monitor the flares. I want to know when each one is scheduled to happen."

"Yes, Captain."

Archer looked out the viewport at the curve of the planet below. Other than the fact that it was mostly in hues of green and purple, Zenandria looked a lot like Earth. After a moment, he turned back to his officers.

"What do you have in mind, Malcolm?"

"Perhaps an extra security plan, Captain. Just as backup."

"Good idea. Let me know what you come up with."

The young lieutenant nodded and then asked, "What do we do in the meantime, sir?"

"We wait. Trip will be allowed to leave once the ceremony is over."

"But what if Commander Tucker gets picked in this … ceremony?"

"He won't," T'Pol answered equably. "Since Commander Tucker had unwittingly accepted the _sher'lk_, as a formality, he has to stay to complete his part in the ceremony. However, to make up for her … error in judgment, Princess Xadria has agreed to not select the Commander when the time comes for her to make her choice."

"Since there will be four others to choose from, there shouldn't be any problems," Archer added.

"With all due respect, Captain, the princess doesn't sound too trustworthy – especially after pulling a stunt like this," Malcolm persisted. "What happens if she changes her mind halfway through?"

Archer sighed tiredly. That disturbing thought had crossed his mind more than once already. He looked at his Tactical Officer.

"Let's just hope it won't come to that."

The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

1220 hours

A child's voice echoed throughout the palace hallways.

"Can't catch me!" Another shriek of laughter accompanied this bit.

Palace attendants looked on in amusement as ten-year-old Princess Xanindra shot past them at full speed, laughing as she did so. Seeking refuge behind her governess' skirts, she peered out cautiously at the tall, blond-haired man who was slowly approaching, a mock scowl on his face. 

Jhanine's fascination increased as she caught sight of the normally expressionless Royal Guards, who were following the human at a discreet distance. In all her years as Xanindra's governess, she has never seen anything remotely resembling a smile on their faces – until now. She turned her attention back to Trip as he came nearer. He reached out a hand and wiggled his fingers at the child standing behind her.

"Gotcha!"

Evading his hand, the young princess gave another delighted shriek and ran off. Trip stood there, with arms akimbo and a smile on his face, as he watched her scamper away. He waited until she was some distance away before cupping his hands to his mouth and calling out to her.

"Hey! Come back here!"

He winked at Jhanine and then went after the child. She watched them disappear into the next corridor, a tinge of red on her cheeks. It was Commander Tucker's third day here in the palace and she was glad to see that he wasn't as uncomfortable or as tense as he was when he had first arrived. 

Although too curious by Zenandrian standards, which had thoroughly exasperated palace officials, the Commander's open friendliness had made him very easy to like. However, what had endeared the Commander to the palace attendants was him winning over young Princess Xanindra's trust and friendship. 

The normally taciturn princess had opened up to the Starfleet officer after he had repaired a broken toy for her. Since the death of her third brother, whom she had been closest to, Xanindra had became quiet and withdrawn. Those who love the young princess were delighted to hear her laugh again after so long.

Jhanine smiled to herself as she remembered how they had looked, heads close together, Xanindra's jet-black hair contrasting starkly with the Commander's dark blond head. The princess had watched in mute fascination until Trip had finished the repairs. Then she had asked so many questions that he had jokingly asked for mercy. Now the princess spends whatever free time she has in the Commander's company. _Lucky girl_…

* * * * *

"Hey … wait up!" Trip yelled after the child. "Stop!"

He grinned and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender when she looked back at him. The game had taken them all around the palace and out into the palace gardens. 

"Al'right, al'right, you win. For one so tiny you sure have plenty o' energy. Yer ain't runnin' on some secret power source now, are you?"

Xanindra giggled. As she ran back towards him, Queen Mylir called out from where she had stood watching near the palace doors.

"Xanindra, it is time for your lessons."

"Aww, Mother…," Xanindra groaned and flopped dramatically onto the grass.

He pretended to cough and looked away, trying his best not to laugh as the queen proceeded to lecture her youngest child on the conduct befitting a royal princess. However, she was smiling and her tone lacked the necessary bite. 

When Mylir had finished her impromptu lecture, Xanindra picked herself up, ran up to her mother, and gave her a hug. She then waved goodbye to Trip, who lifted his hand in reply, before following Jhanine to the Study Room.

Trip was about to ask to be excused when Mylir addressed him. 

"Please, Commander Tucker, take a walk around the garden with me while I get some flowers for the hallway."

He complied, falling into step with her. He took a quick look behind. The Royal Guards assigned to him and Mylir's own Imperial Guards were close, but not near enough to hear their conversation. 

He shot the queen a sideways glance. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. His curiosity was beginning to get the better of him when she spoke.

"My daughters seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time in your company, Commander," Mylir began with a smile, her words startling an apology out of him.

"I'm sor–"

"Don't be," she waved a hand at his direction, stopping him before he could complete the sentence. "It wasn't meant as a criticism. Quite the opposite, actually. "

Trip looked questioningly at the woman walking beside him.

"Your Majesty?"

"You see, Commander Tucker, it has been quite a while since I've seen Xanindra this happy. And as for Xadria, being the next in line for the throne has put a lot a pressure on her. However, ever since you've been here, I believe she has laughed more often these last two days than in the past few weeks. I've also noticed she has spent more time in your company than anyone else's, although she is supposed to be giving all her suitors an equal amount of attention."

Trip's eyebrows rose as he listened to the queen. He was still looking for the right words when Mylir stopped suddenly and turned to him. 

"Has your stay been well, Commander?"

"Yes, very … but I'm afraid I still ain't used to being followed 'round everywhere I go."

"I'm afraid that comes with the territory. After a while, you'll forget that they are even there," she said and laughed at his disbelieving look. 

Mylir soon paused beside a shrub with lilac- and maroon-coloured flowers. Trip breathed in their sweet scent as the queen proceeded to cut off several flowers on long red stalks.

"I know we've agreed that Xadria will select someone else at the Ceremony of Choosing tomorrow," Mylir said as she placed the blooms into her basket. "However, I was wondering if you would consider allowing my daughter to choose you, if she so desires."

The request caught him off guard and he just stared at the queen, dumbfounded. She smiled at his stunned expression.

"Although there has never been an inter-species marriage in Zenandria before, I am sure the people will accept you in due time. I've noticed that you're already doing quite well at the palace. Perhaps it is time to change that ancient custom, especially if it is for the good of Zenandria." 

"Pardon my askin', Your Majesty," he began slowly. "But why this sudden …uh–?"

"Change of heart? Like all mothers, Commander Tucker, I only wish to see my daughter happy. And you seem to do that very well. Furthermore, our species do not differ that much physically."

Trip opened his mouth to say something but closed it again when nothing suitable came immediately to mind. They walked on in silence as he mulled over the queen's words. After a while, he cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to her.

"It's a great honour an'all, Your Majesty, an' no one would be prouder to be given such a chance …"

"Please, Commander, you may speak freely," Mylir encouraged softly when he lapsed into silence again. 

"Ah, well … I'd rather that we keep to the original plan. This has been a terrific experience but the thing is, my whole life's on Enterprise...," he trailed off. 

He wanted to say more but it was difficult to put his exact feelings into words. The irony of it all didn't escape him. Trip Tucker! At a total, complete loss for words! He couldn't remember the last time _that_ happened. He could just imagine the look on the Captain's face right now. His friend would probably wonder if he was coming down with something. 

Trip made a helpless gesture with his hands. He just hoped that, in spite of all his failure to explain, Queen Mylir would understand why he couldn't say yes to her request. He met her eyes. 

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

Mylir nodded gracefully at his answer. Her lovely face was serene as she looked up at the Starfleet officer.

"There's no need for you to be, Commander. I didn't think you would say yes but I thought I'd just give it a try anyhow." 

She gave him an affectionate pat on the arm.

"You're a remarkable man, Charles Tucker. Not many would give up the chance to be part of a royal family." 

There was a wry smile on her face as she continued, "Well, at least the ones I know anyway."

Relieved by her response, Trip visibly relaxed. He flashed her a grin of his own. 

"Maybe I _should_ get m'head examined."

The queen's eyes widened. Amused at her own reaction to the engineer's charming smile, she shook her head and said, "I can certainly see why my daughter likes you so much."

"Princess Xadria is an amazin' woman," he replied, a little embarrassed by the compliment. 

"Yes, she is," Mylir smiled. "I'm glad we had this chance to talk, Commander."

"So am I, Your Majesty."

They walked on in companionable silence until they finally reached the palace doors. The queen paused on her way in. 

"She's a lucky woman," she observed candidly.

"Who?" Trip asked absently, his mind still on the conversation they just had.

"That special one on Enterprise whom you care for."

Mylir patted Trip fondly on his arm one more time and left him staring after her, a bemused expression on his face, as her parting words echoed in his mind.


	5. Reflections

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Yes, please…

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**Chapter Five**

The Bridge

Enterprise

1300 hours

"Captain, it's Commander Tucker," Hoshi reported from her post.

"Put him through," Archer instructed with a nod.

"Go ahead, sir."

"Hey, Trip!" Archer greeted cheerfully. "How are things on the planet today?"

"Can't complain, Cap'n…"

Archer caught the slight hesitation in the engineer's voice. He sat up straighter.

"Trip? Everything okay?"

"I … uh … Yeah, I guess I'm jus' waitin' for things to be over and done with."

"We all are. Just hang in there a while longer."

"Will do, Cap'n.  … How're the engines holdin' up?"

Archer chuckled softly. 

"For the last time, they're fine. You trained your team well, so quit worrying already. That's an order, Commander."

"Yes, sir, I'll try …"

Archer grinned at Trip's resigned tone. 

"We'll see you at the palace tomorrow."

"That'd be great, Cap'n. Tucker out."

Archer leaned back in his chair, a slight frown furrowing his brow. He could have sworn Trip had something else to say. He made a mental note to ask about it when the Commander got back tomorrow. He gave a low sigh. Although unplanned, the break in their journey was not entirely unwelcome. It gave the crew a chance to carry out or finish whatever they had been putting off due to time constraint. He himself had used the opportunity to catch up with some long-overdue reading material and had even taken Porthos down to the planet's surface for a walk a couple of days ago. Regrettably, they were neither allowed to go near the palace nor was Trip permitted to meet up with the away team. 

The rather tense confrontation that took place with the palace officials over that matter might have turned out a lot differently if T'Pol hadn't calmly reminded him of an old human saying. He was glad that she did. _When in Rome, indeed_, Archer thought with an inward smile. They must have rubbed off onto the Vulcan more than he thought, although he knew she'd never admit to it.

"Captain?" Ensign Travis Mayweather called out from the helm, catching his attention.

"Yes, Travis. What is it?"

The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

1310 hours

With some reluctance, Trip flipped the communicator close, pocketing it. Malcolm's distrust of palace security meant he had to report in twice a day, once in the afternoon and another time in the evening. Royal Suitors were not supposed to have contact with anyone outside the palace, but the Lieutenant had been so insistent about the whole thing that the palace officials had agreed to his demands just to get the Armoury Officer off their backs. Trip grinned at the memory of their collected sighs of relief when Malcolm had finally signed off. He'd received the communicator that very same evening.

Unfortunately, they were not as lenient when it came to matters regarding weapons so he had grudgingly returned the phase pistol that had been sent along. Of course, he'd made sure the palace officials knew that he was extremely unhappy about doing so. His smile widened. They'd literally thrown him out of the conference room in a desperate attempt to stop his incessant complaints.

In a way, he was glad to have the additional security measures, although not specifically for the same reasons as Malcolm's. It felt good to stay in touch, even if his reports consisted mostly of brief hellos and such. Trip squinted up at the lavender sky, using his hands to shade his eyes from the planet's twin suns. 

If he looked hard enough, he could just make out the really, really tiny black dot that was Enterprise. Knowing that she was up there wasn't much, but the knowledge itself had helped him to cope with the fact that he was all alone, and unarmed, on an alien planet. Not exactly his favourite combination. After a while, he looked down and stared broodingly at the ground. 

For a moment there, he'd almost blurted out to the Captain, not to mention the entire bridge crew, about the conversation he had just had with Queen Mylir. He had no regrets about his answer to her surprising request but it would have been nice to be able to talk to someone about it. Had the Captain been alone, he would have done so. He guessed he would have to wait until he was back on board tomorrow night, vaguely wondering what T'Pol would say if she knew. He gave a very un-Royal Suitor-like snort. Knowing her, it would probably be something to do with logic, probably with little comments about emotions thrown in for good measure.

Several attendants walked past and Trip returned their greetings absently, oblivious to the fact that most of them were wondering why he was standing alone in the garden at this time of the day. Some of them had even looked up at the sky when he did, though they were extremely puzzled as to why he did that. There was nothing there to see but a few small clouds floating by. Perhaps it was a human ritual of some sort – a very unsettling ritual from the feel of it, as it left the few a little dizzy once they finally looked back down. When the Commander had started to stare intensely at the ground, it only reinforced their growing opinion that humans were really a peculiar race. Extremely amiable, albeit unusually inquisitive and talkative at times … but decidedly peculiar.

"Ahem…"

Jolted out of his musings, the engineer suddenly became aware that he was drawing perplexed looks from a nearby group of palace officials, who looked curious enough to start asking questions. Strange, he had been seeing a lot of that expression on their faces lately. Desperate to avoid another conversation with them, which usually ended with them shaking their heads at him in exasperation, he flashed them a sheepish grin of apology and quickly disappeared inside before they could say anything. 

Once the Zenandrians had lost their initial suspicions of him, they had turned out to be quite nice. While they treated him well, he wasn't used to doing practically nothing all day, and being followed around _while_ he did just that almost drove him nuts, especially on his first day here. He sighed. _It's good that this is endin' tomorrow. Any longer and I'm gonna get a real bad dose of cabin fever._

Glancing up at the clock, he stifled a yawn and decided that he had just enough time to grab something to eat and perhaps a short nap before his meeting with the princess in the library. He hadn't been sleeping well these past few days and he knew he could be somewhat cranky when that happened. Given his present situation, who could blame him?

As he walked towards the kitchen, he reflected idly about the other four men who had also been chosen. As far as he could tell, they were somewhere around in the palace, for he had heard them mentioned in passing conversations. But try as he might, he hadn't seen hide or hair of any one of them since the first day. He wondered if it was just him or that they had isolated everyone from everyone else. Then again, it could be just simply because that their paths had yet to cross; not surprisingly, considering the size of the palace grounds. 

Still lost in thought, he rounded a corner and was almost knocked off his feet when someone ran headlong into him.

"Oof!" 

The Royal Guards, who were close behind, raised their weapons in automatic response. They quickly relaxed when they saw who the other person was. Behind her, the princess's Imperial Guards lowered their weapons as well.

"Oops!" 

"Whoa, Your Highness," Trip laughed. He reached out a hand to steady her when she stumbled slightly as she looked up to see whom she had run into. "Slow down before you give our friends back there a heart attack." 

"Sorry, Trip," she smiled. "Did I hurt you?"

"Nah … jus' got the wind knocked outta me, that's all." 

He knelt down beside her and looked her over. 

"What 'bout yerself? You 'kay?"

She nodded. He stared thoughtfully at her for a moment. The extremely intelligent but unusually solemn ten-year-old had been a regular companion ever since he repaired a toy for her. He remembered his conversation with her mother and wondered, yet again, about what had really happened. Perhaps she would tell him when she was ready. Right now, he'd just stick to finding out why she wasn't in the Study Room, as she should rightly be. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ain't you s'pposed to be studyin' or sum'n?"

Xanindra giggled softly and put her finger to her mouth. 

"Shhh! Not so loud! I told Jhanine that I needed some time to collect some data and feedback on inter-species marriages."

Trip choked back a laugh. 

"What? An' she believed you?"

She shrugged. 

"Not really. But I think she understood why I couldn't spend today studying. Besides, I can always make up for it the day after tomorrow."

He nodded. 

"So whatcha plannin' on doin' then?" he smiled.

"Actually, I was just coming to look for you," she grinned mischievously back at him. 

She grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. 

"C'mon, I want to show you something."


	6. First Signs

A/N:  My grateful thanks to those of you who've been following this, especially for your reviews. This is for Julie and my beta – thanks for making my day. :)

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Yes, please…

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**Chapter Six**

The Conservatory, The Royal Zenandrian Palace Grounds

Zenandria

1400 hours

Trip looked curiously about him. Unlike the balmy cool atmosphere of the planet, the air in the dimly lit building was warm and damp.

"Where are we again?"

A few metres away, Xanindra was flitting like a giant butterfly from one flowering plant to another, her tiny antennae moving energetically up and down.

"The conservatory," she called back over one shoulder.

"Oh. Interestin' sort o' greenhouse you have here."

"Green house? No, it's too dark to see it in here but the walls are actually grey."

"What? No, that's not what I meant," Trip shook his head, amused. "Back on my world, a greenhouse is where we grow plants that need a lot of heat, sunlight and protection from the weather like wind and rain. It's usually made out of glass."

"Oh …This is very much like your greenhouse then."

Trip looked around dubiously. There were hardly any openings for light to come in. The huge metal building, consisting of two levels, was crammed with a confusing clutter of unusual plants of various shapes and sizes. It had two large main doors, one on each side, and three sets of steps leading up to the second level. 

"Are yer sure? Seems kinda hard for these plants to get some light, doncha think?"

Xanindra laughed. 

"Oh no, they don't need that much light, only warm damp air. They were gifts from a neigbouring system years ago. Since the conditions there were slightly different from ours, Father had this built specially so that they could grow here too. Beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Trip agreed as he peered at one of the plants near him. It had yellow leaves and long tube-like flowers that changed colours when viewed at different angles. 

"Oh, by the way, don't touch …" 

A startled yelp made her look up to find the Commander sucking on his right index finger, a disbelieving look on his face.

"… anything," she finished faintly.

"The flower just bit me!"

He frowned accusingly at the offending plant.

"Sorry, I forgot to warn you. Some of these plants feed on insects and stuff."

"Stuff?" he repeated, taking a cautious step back. "Are ya sayin' you have carnivorousplants in here?"

"Yes..."

She stared curiously at him as he muttered under his breath about flytraps, sundews and flesh-eating vegetation.

"What's a … flytrap?"

"Huh?" He was still glaring at the plant and her query made him look back at her in surprise, as if he had forgotten that she was there. She repeated her question. His brow cleared and he grinned sheepishly at her. 

"We have plants on my world that eat insects too. A Venus flytrap is one of 'em. Not as striking as your … uh … plant here though."

"Oh, it sounds nice."

"Depends on whether yer the plant or the insect, I s'pposed," he said dryly. He took another look at the plant, this time making sure he did not touch any part of it. The flower that had closed on his finger was slowly opening again. Straightening, he turned to Xanindra. 

"Uh… remind me why we're here 'gain?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She grabbed his hand once more and pulled him to the second level. They stopped in front of a huge pot. "I wanted to show you my favourite. It only flowers once a year and according to Kr'iar …"

"Who?"

"Kr'iar  … the head gardener," she explained before continuing excitedly. "Anyway, Kr'iar said that it should happen around this week. Maybe it'll be today and we can both see it!"

Trip hesitated. Although he enjoyed her company, he could think of better things to do rather than to sit around waiting for some flowers to open. The several huge colourful bugs that suddenly crawled up onto a leaf beside him made things all the more easier to decide. He was just about to suggest that they return to the main palace and have something to eat when she plopped herself down on a nearby bench. As if sensing his reluctance, she turned a small hopeful face towards him and quickly patted the empty space beside her. 

"Let's wait a while, okay?" she said, her eyes wide with mute appeal. "Please?"

He sighed. He knew when he was beaten. They really should start including ways to deal with these sorts of things in their survival training exercises …

"Sure, why the heck not …" 

He gingerly moved a few leaves aside and sat down beside her, keeping a watchful eye out for insects that may be interested in more than the usual plants and flowers. He shuddered inwardly. _Flesh-eatin' bugs … Just the thing to make this trip complete …_

Beside him, Xanindra cast the engineer a puzzled glance but didn't say anything about the weird look on his face. They passed the next few minutes lost in their own thoughts.

"So, you come here every day to check on them?" Trip asked finally, breaking the comfortable silence.

"No!"

He raised an eyebrow at her abrupt reply. She flushed and ducked her head, looking at her hands.

"Er … well … actually, yes, but only since the beginning of this week. Father thinks it's too dangerous to come every day."

"He's right, you know," Trip said as he contemplated the building's location. "It is kinda isolated. Why was it built so far 'way from the main palace?"

"When we were first given the plants, some of the officials were worried that the pollen from the plants may be dangerous to our people as some did not react well to them. So Father had the conservatory built at the edge of the palace grounds in case they were right."

"Couldn't you've just said 'no thanks'?"

Xanindra cocked her head to one side.

"I'm not sure ...  I think it had something to do with diplomatic ties between our worlds."

"Humph … figures. So, were they right?"

"No. Only a very small number of our people had a reaction to the pollen. By the time the scientists found that out, the plants were doing so well here that no one wanted to take the risk of moving them again. We had lost quite a few when they were first replanted here."

"Oh." Then a thought hit him. "Hey! How'd y'know I wouldn't have an allergic reaction as well?" 

Xanindra giggled at his expression as he scrunched up his nose at her.

"You're funny," she said, her eyes bright. She shook her head. "I waited until the doctors told me it was all right to bring you here. I was afraid they wouldn't get the results back in time. Luckily they worked fast."

Trip nodded, remembering the blood sample that they had taken from him on his first day here. He wasn't too happy about it at the time but now he was glad that he had agreed to it. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs as he studied the unusual plant that had bright orange and purple leaves. Several of the tiny blue buds were already starting to open.

"Are these carnivorous as well?"

"No, but I could show you those that are if you like. I could also give you some samples to take back to your ship."

Her enthusiasm was so infectious that Trip had to smile despite the slight apprehension he felt at her suggestion. __

"Err … thanks for the offer but I don't think the Cap'n would be too happy 'bout me bringin' … uh … unusual specimens back to Enterprise…" he trailed off. _Might as well get some bugs while I'm at it …_

Again, Xanindra puzzled over the expression that crossed the Commander's face.

* * * * *

He cursed fervently under his breath when he saw two additional guards outside the building. _The_ _Royal Zenandrian Guards_. His eyes narrowed. This meant one of the suitors was around somewhere, most likely inside the conservatory with the girl. She was earlier than expected. Moreover, she was not alone, unlike the other times. Never mind. They would just have to deal with the fool if he got in their way. First, however, he needed another plan to get rid of the second set of guards, if they were still there when the time came. Silently, he signalled his men and they swiftly disappeared back into the forest.

The Mess Hall

Enterprise

1430 hours

"Room for one more?"

Hoshi and Travis looked up in surprise to see Malcolm hovering behind them with a tray of food.

"Sure, Lieutenant," Travis answered, scooting aside to make room for him. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," Malcolm said as he sat down. He normally ate alone but since Commander Tucker had been encouraging him to _mingle_ more with the crew, he had decided to join the ensigns when he saw them at the nearly deserted mess hall. At least he did not feel uncomfortable when he was with them; trying his best not to grimace as he remembered the time he had breakfast with Captain Archer.

"I thought I was the only one having a late lunch," he remarked, mentally shoving the memory away. 

"I've just finished my shift," Travis explained cheerfully as he forked a piece of chicken from his plate.

"I wanted to complete the linguistic database update," Hoshi said with a graceful shrug. "Once Commander Tucker's back on board tomorrow, we'll be on our way. I doubt I'd have the time then."

Malcolm nodded. He had lost track of time himself while completing the recalibration of the phase cannons and updating some of the records in the armoury.

"Do you know what happens at the ceremony tomorrow, sir?" Travis asked.

"No," Malcolm shook his head. "I wish I did."

"Oh, are we still on for target practice later?" Hoshi asked after a short silence.

Malcolm didn't answer. His eyes had taken on a faraway look as he frowned distractedly at the other end of the room. 

Hoshi caught the helmsman's eyes. Travis shrugged slightly in reply to her silent query.

"Lieutenant Reed?" he asked hesitantly. He had to stop himself from waving a hand in front of Malcolm's face. He raised his voice. 

"Sir?"

"Hmm? What?" With an effort, Malcolm focused his attention on them again. "Sorry, I was wool gathering a bit there."

Travis ventured a guess. "Is it about tomorrow's ceremony?"

"It's probably nothing," Malcolm said as he turned back to his food.

"What is it?" the linguist asked, concern colouring her voice.

Malcolm sighed. He put down his fork and gave up any pretense of eating. 

"Well, it's just that a solar flare is projected to occur at the very same time as the ceremony tomorrow."

"How long is it expected to last?" Travis asked.

"At least three, four hours … could be more. We don't know for sure."

"We don't?" Hoshi repeated, her fork suspended over her forgotten pasta. 

"Well, predicting when a flare is going to happen is easy but there's no way of telling the duration of each one." 

"There's one happening right now. It started about an hour ago," Travis said. 

"Yes, we couldn't even get through even if we wanted to," Malcolm made a face. "And having most of the senior officers down there tomorrow…"

"Oh, Lieutenant, you worry too much" Hoshi teased, trying to cheer him up. "It's not good for you, you know." She lowered her voice, "It increases frown lines …"

"So I've heard," Malcolm responded, smiling despite himself. "But it is an alien planet and we could be cut off from Enterprise for a long while. I'd rather be prepared all the same." 

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Hoshi said reassuringly as Travis nodded his agreement.

Malcolm picked up his fork again, his smile fading. He took a stab at his fish with a little more force than necessary. 

"I sincerely hope you're both right."

The Conservatory, The Royal Zenandrian Palace Grounds

Zenandria

1520 hours

"Heck, look at the time," Trip exclaimed in surprise. He gently replaced the tiny pot that he had been inspecting back on the table beside him and stood up. 

"I've gotta go now if I want to make that meeting with your sister. It's a pretty long walk back to the palace."

"Okay," Xanindra said as she hopped off the bench as well. She walked towards a wooden cupboard. "I'll be staying a while longer. I need to get Mother some flowers for her vase."

"Yer sure?"

"Yes, don't worry. I'm usually here about this time anyway," Xanindra replied as she took out a clipper. "Besides, the guards are just outside."

Trip nodded. 

"Be careful, 'kay? I'll see you later."

 * * * * *

He was wrong. There was no one in sight. When he didn't see them within the building, he had assumed the guards would be waiting for him on the outside. He frowned, biting his bottom lip, as he stood a few steps away from the conservatory. _Something's wrong._ Py'lr and Go'rn had never once let him out of their sights for the past three days.He seriously doubted that they would start now, not with the ceremony so close at hand. 

"Py'lr? Go'rn? Where are you guys?"

T'pol's warnings of danger came suddenly to mind and his hand instinctively went to his belt for his phase pistol before he remembered that he was unarmed. Trip swore softly. He wished that he at least had some kind of weapon with him. A long thick branch on the ground caught his eye and he bent down to pick it up. He looked critically at it for a moment. _After all the advancements we've made, I'm back at mankind's first weapon. Might as well get me a rock to go with this …_

His mouth curled up slightly at the corners in sardonic amusement at the thought. It was, however, better than nothing. The branch firmly in hand, he walked on, peering into the thickly wooded forest enclosing the conservatory. His uneasiness grew with every step.

"Fellas? C'mon, guys, ya know this ain't funny."

The muted sounds of the forest surrounded him but he saw no sign of either man. After a few more steps, he stopped and stood still in the middle of the narrow pathway, his nerves on edge. _I've a really bad feelin' 'bout this …_

He flipped opened the communicator but there was only the now-familiar static. He glanced up. The thick canopy of leaves above him blocked out most of the sunlight except for sporadic areas, where shafts of bright light shone through. He could hardly see the sky from where he stood. 

Abruptly, he turned on his heels and headed back towards the conservatory. Perhaps Xanindra's Imperial Guards would know what was going on. If they didn't, he might be able to warn them before anything happened. As he neared the domed building, a muffled scream filled the air. Trip's breath caught and he froze in mid-step. It had come from within the conservatory.

"Xanindra…"

He broke into a run for the nearest door.


	7. Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Yes, please. :)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter Seven**

The Conservatory, The Royal Zenandrian Palace Grounds

Zenandria

1530 hours

Once the door closed behind him, Trip had to pause for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting inside. He then moved silently towards the middle of the room, making his way to the steps there. They were well hidden by a huge potted plant and he wouldn't have noticed them at all if Xanindra hadn't taken the time to point them out to him. Squeezing past the large pot, he paused at the bottom, listening hard. At first, he heard nothing. Then came the unmistakable sound of a child's whimper from above him. He looked up, his heart pounding.

Gripping his makeshift weapon tightly, he crept slowly up the steps. At the top, he went down on one knee, peered out cautiously through the mass of plants, and quickly took stock of the situation. There were several shadowy figures at both ends of the building but it was too dark to see who they were. He counted four altogether, two on each side. Both teams were doing exactly the same thing. While one stood guard at the steps, the other moved slowly towards the middle. 

They were obviously searching for someone, which meant that they had not found Xanindra yet. Good_._ Trip hoped that her Imperial Guards were with her, although deep down, he knew that the chances of them being there were very slim. The scream that he had heard before he ran in here had come from a man, not a child.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," one of the men called out. 

Trip frowned. The speaker's voice sounded strange – synthesised. It was as if a machine was talking, instead of a living being. He also held a piece of cloth in one hand, which he used to wipe his eyes every few minutes or so. 

 "There's no one here to help you, little girl," the man continued smugly. "Your guards are gone and so is your friend."

Suppressing the urge to groan out loud at that remark, Trip closed his eyes briefly and dropped his head to his arm. The situation seemed worse by the minute. One against four was not what anyone would call fair odds. It didn't help matters that he was unarmed. Trip looked at the branch he was still holding and grimaced. _Maybe I'll just poke them full of holes until they surrender…_

The man spoke again and Trip's face was grim as he listened.

"Make things easier on yourself and come out, child. No one's going to hurt you!" His tone belied his words as he started to sound angry and impatient.

"Don't make us come get you!" he yelled suddenly. 

His voice echoed loudly throughout the building, startling even his own men, not to mention Trip, who almost fell back down the steps. The silence that followed was almost deafening in comparison. The men had stopped moving and were scanning the area, clearly hoping that their leader had managed to scare the young princess into showing herself.

Steadying himself, Trip was preparing to move to a less precarious position when a slight sound caught his attention. He cautiously pushed a few leaves aside. His eyes widened when he saw Xanindra, crouched underneath a table a few metres away directly in front of him. She was alone. 

He quickly assessed the distance that separated them. While they were currently hidden from the eyes of the men, there was an open space between him and the table. There wasn't any way to get across without being seen as long as the men still stood there. 

He looked around and found a pot filled with tiny green stones. Putting down the stick, he proceeded to pick up several of the pebbles. Keeping an eye out for the men, he threw one pebble after another at her direction. The first few bounced noiselessly off the many leaves that were in the way. Finally, one of the stones hit the little girl in the arm and she looked up, startled. Trip immediately put his finger to his mouth to stop her from crying out his name. She stared wide-eyed at him, her hands covering her mouth in her surprise.

Even in the dimness of the building, he could see that she was terrified and her eyes were brimming with tears. Trip swore inwardly. Only monsters would terrorise innocent young children. He signed to her to wait until he gave her the signal to move. She nodded jerkily, her dark blue eyes wide in her small, pale face.

He picked up several larger stones and threw as hard as he could towards a far end of the building. Immediately, both men changed directions and started to move stealthily towards the sound. Trip waited until they were almost blocked by several thick leaves before he gestured at Xanindra to run towards him. 

She was almost halfway through when she accidentally kicked over a long slim pot. It shattered into pieces on the floor. The men spun around and she froze in terror at the sound of their voices.

"There!" One of them pointed at her. Both men raised their arms; they were each holding a strange device in their hands.

Upon seeing that, Trip swore and broke cover. 

"What the–?" Another man yelled in surprise when Trip popped up from nowhere. 

"I thought you said he had already left for the palace!" The leader yelled in anger. "Get him!"

Shots whizzed past his ears as Trip ran desperately towards the young girl. Reaching her side, he grabbed her and ran back the way he came, shielding her with his body. He had just reached the steps when he felt a sharp pain in his right leg. Ignoring it, he ran down the steps as quickly as he could, carrying the young princess. He could hear the men shouting upstairs and knew they would eventually find the set of step that he had used. 

The leader was yelling in anger, his synthesised voice echoing eerily around them. 

"Use the other gun, you fools! We need her alive!"

Reaching the bottom and completely out of breath, Trip put Xanindra down and whispered urgently, "I need you to run with me, okay?"

She nodded mutely. He grabbed her hand and they made their way as silently as they could to the left main entrance of the building. They were almost there when a man suddenly appeared on the bottom step. Trip quickly ducked behind a nearby cupboard, pulling Xanindra along with him. They crouched there, their hearts pounding as they tried to breathe quietly through their mouths. 

Trip was just about to sneak a look at the man standing guard when Xanindra shifted slightly and bumped into him. He hissed in surprise at the stab of pain he felt. He didn't realise that he had been hit until his hand, which had automatically gone there to his left side, came away bloody. He looked down in almost comical surprise. A dark stain was already spreading through the cloth. There was another on his right leg. He looked them over and was relieved to find the wounds were not too serious. In fact, the one on his leg had almost stopped bleeding. _Too bad I can't say the same for the pain though_, he thought as he bit back a groan. 

Wishing he had something to take the edge off the pain, he glanced up and was disconcerted to find Xanindra looking wide-eyed at his wounds. Her lower mouth quivered suddenly and she looked almost ready to burst into tears. Injuries temporarily forgotten, he hugged her to him, trying wordlessly to comfort the frightened child. She sagged against him for a moment before hugging him back fiercely, eliciting a slight smile from the engineer. Perhaps they had more than a chance of getting out of here after all.

"Make sure they don't get away!" Someone yelled directly above, startling them badly. "Remember, do not hurt the girl."

Another man cursed loudly before yelling in anger, "I can't see anything! There are too many plants blocking the way! It's like a freaking jungle in here!"

"That's why it's a conservatory, you idiot!" The first man snarled in reply. "Now quit whining and find them!"

"Is there another way outta here?" Trip whispered. He noticed no one said anything about not hurting _him_.

Xanindra sniffed and wiped her eyes. She answered shakily, "There–there's a side d–door but no one h–has used it in a l–long time."

"Where is it?"

Xanindra pointed to their right. Trip could see a small metal door hidden by some foliage. He eyed it, trying to judge the distance between them. There were several exposed areas along the way. On the whole, it was a risky move but right now, it was their only way out. He could hear the men coming nearer. He checked the communicator again but all he got was static. Beside him, Xanindra whimpered softly.

"Shhh…," he said softly, stroking her hair. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll get out of this, okay?" 

He waited for her nod before taking her hand again. 

"C'mon."

They moved as silently as possible towards the door. Although he tried to ignore them, Trip knew that his injuries were slowing them down. He bit his lip to keep from crying out when he accidentally bumped into a table. They were almost at the door when he felt a pinprick at the back of his arm. He looked down and found a tiny dart there. __

His head was already spinning by the time the next two darts hit him. He struggled to stay conscious as the powerful drugs swiftly coursed through his system. He looked back up at the door but it seemed to be moving rapidly away from them. He reached out a hand towards it and tried to move forward. As he did so, his legs buckled from under him and he crashed painfully to the ground. 

"Go…" He managed to whisper to the terrified child before the darkness overtook him.

Xanindra looked down in horror at her unconscious friend. She turned to run but the next dart found its target and she too slumped to the ground unconscious.

The three men looked expressionlessly down at Trip. 

"What do we do with him?" one of them asked.

"Leave him," growled the leader as he paused to wipe his watering eyes. He had always hated this place. When he was in charge, one of the first things he would do would be to level it to the ground. 

He turned off the vocal synthesiser. He didn't need it anymore, now that the child and her interfering friend were out cold. He continued in his natural voice, "It's not that he would be able to tell them anything anyway." 

As the man bent down to pick up the princess, he glanced at Trip's direction and paused in disbelief. He straightened slowly, the child in his arms.

"Wait! Here, hold her for a minute."

Passing his load over, he crouched down and studied the unconscious figure on the floor. His eyes glinted with malicious pleasure and he gave a cruel laugh as he stood up.

"Well, well, well … if it isn't Commander Tucker. Now this is an unexpected bonus."

He gestured to one of his men.

"Bring him along. We could always do with a little fun."

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A/N: Sorry this took a while… courtesy of work and one very busy beta. Will try my best to get the next part up soon. Stay tuned! :)


	8. Missing

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Just press that lil' tiny button down there …

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**Chapter Eight**

The Bridge

Enterprise

1950 hours

"What do you mean, you don't know where he is?" Archer demanded furiously. "How is that even possible …?!"

The palace official swallowed, his antennae twitching. 

"Err … well, no one has seen him since this afternoon…" he tried again.

"Yes, so we've been told – several times already," Archer cut in. "And …?"

Faced with the irate starship captain's mounting anger, the hapless official wished for the umpteenth time that someone else had taken the call when it came through. Another look at the Captain's face was enough. He didn't think his hearts, both of them, could stand the grilling any longer. 

"Uh, let me p-pass you to my colleague, Captain … Please h-hold on."

"No, wait–" Archer protested but it was already too late. The viewscreen went black as the call was again redirected to yet another person.

With some difficulty, Archer controlled the urge to smash something with his fist. Unable to reach the Chief Engineer when he had failed to check in as scheduled, they had contacted the palace officials – only to be transferred from one person to another for the past hour. So far, nobody in the palace had any idea where Trip was. All anyone could tell them was that no one had seen him since the afternoon. Without permission to go down to the planet's surface, the crew of the NX-01 could do nothing but to try and locate their missing crewmate from where they were.

He turned to Hoshi. 

"Try again."

She nodded and turned back to her console, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. After a while, she looked back at him and shook her head. The current solar flare made sure there was a slim to none chance they would be able to get through. 

"Captain," T'pol called out from her station, commanding Archer's attention.

"What is it?"

"According to the last coordinates we have on Commander Tucker's biosign, he was somewhere in this region."

"Do we have his exact location?" Archer asked, looking over her shoulder at the screen.

"No, the signal only lasted for a brief moment before it was interrupted. However, based on his last location, Commander Tucker was still well within palace grounds, although at the very edge."

Archer frowned. He was about to make a comment when Hoshi spoke up.

"Captain, it's the palace."

"On screen."

A face appeared on the viewscreen – the same official who last spoke to them.

"Uh … Captain Archer," the nervous man began, his antennae still twitching erratically.

"Yes, what is it?" Archer answered curtly.

"Er … His Majesty King J'ok requests your presence at the palace to discuss Commander Tucker's … uh … situation."

Archer nodded.

"Some of my officers will be coming along."

"That shouldn't be a problem, Captain."

"Good. We'll be right down. Archer out."

As the viewscreen went black once more, he turned to T'pol. 

"Send the last coordinates we have on Commander Tucker down to them and ask that they check it out for us. Let's hope we'll have some answers by the time we get there."

T'pol nodded almost imperceptibly and turned back to her console.

"Malcolm, Travis – meet us at the launch bay."

"Aye, sir," Malcolm replied as the two men headed towards the turbolift.

Archer turned to Hoshi, "You have the bridge, Ensign. Keep trying."

"Yes, sir."

"It's done, Captain," T'pol reported.

Archer nodded grimly.

"Good. Let's go."

As the turbolift doors closed behind them, Hoshi tried hailing the Chief Engineer again.

"Enterprise to Commander Tucker. Please respond, Commander…"

Conference Room, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

2025 hours

Archer looked questioningly at Princess Xadria.

"I'm sorry … the Jhak-re?"

"The Jhak-re is a daily session where I get to know each of my suitors, one at a time. I usually meet Commander Tucker in the library at about five each evening."

On Archer's left, Malcolm shifted restlessly in his seat, impatient to start the search. The only reason they were still in this room instead of out there looking was because they had to wait for the report on the coordinates that were sent down earlier. He frowned. _Why was it taking so bloody long?_

He looked stealthily over the large ornately decorated room even as he paid close attention to the ongoing discussion. He had to admit; he was impressed by the beautiful structure of the building and a little more than interested in the unusual weaponry that he had a glimpse of when they first arrived at the palace. 

The several heavily armed uniformed men standing guard at the entrances to the room caught his eye and he wondered how many of these guards there were in total. His casual sweep of the room over, Malcolm turned his attention back to the rest of the people present. Seated across the Enterprise officers at the large circular table were an equally solemn King J'ok and Princess Xadria. 

"Wait, if these sessions are what I think they are, then why was Commander Tucker involved?" the captain was saying. "They didn't seem to be necessary."

"No, they weren't," Xadria agreed. "However, I was curious about life on board the Enterprise as well as on Earth. Commander Tucker agreed to spend some time telling me about them. So far, we'd covered the different kinds of Earth food and clothing. I believe the Commander is partial to catfish, prime ribs and … uh … pe–pejan pie?"

Despite the severity of the situation, Archer had to smile at the last part of her sentence.

"That would be pecan pie, Your Highness."

"Ahh, yes, pecan pie." She continued after a short pause, her smile fading. "When he did not make the Jhak-re at the appointed time, I became concerned, since he has never missed a session before. I informed K'lar about this and he quickly contacted the men assigned to Commander Tucker. We became even more anxious when they failed to respond as well…"

 "K'lar?"

"Commandant K'lar is the Head of Security," King J'ok spoke up. Just then, a knock sounded at the main door. 

"Enter."

The door opened to admit a Zenandrian dressed in a gold and black uniform.

"Ahh! K'lar!" J'ok greeted enthusiastically. "We were just talking about you! Come!"

The tall Zenandrian strode to the middle of the room and bowed to his monarch. 

"Sire."

"You have news?" J'ok asked after the necessary introductions were made. 

"Yes, Your Majesty. We've checked out the coordinates from Captain Archer. It appears to be the conservatory."

"The conservatory?"

"Yes, Sire. After a brief search, we found both guards assigned to Commander Tucker unconscious in a specially dug pit by the edge of the palace grounds, not far away from the building itself. They were both given powerful sedatives and are currently still in a coma. I'm afraid we would not be getting any help from them until they've regained consciousness. Unfortunately, the doctors are unable to tell us whether they will eventually do so. Their condition remains critical."

There was a stunned silence when he finished. K'lar hesitated over the next section of his report, unsure of how he should proceed. No one liked admitting failure, least of all him. Moreover, he had nothing but bad news about their human guest.

"And Commander Tucker?" Archer prompted, when the Head of Security did not continue immediately.

K'lar cleared his throat. His voice was low and grave when he answered. 

"We were unable to locate Commander Tucker although we found traces of human blood in the conservatory. We believe he may have been injured by whoever or whatever that had attacked him there."

 His listeners exchanged worried glances. Already greatly disturbed by the news regarding the attack on the guards, the Starfleet officers looked even more alarmed by the last bit of information; even T'pol, although she showed no outward reaction save for a flicker in her eyes before her mask of indifference slipped quickly back into place.

"This makes no sense," Archer shook his head, perplexed. "Any idea what the Commander was doing there in the first place?"

"We have yet to determine the answer to that question, Captain." 

"But you think it's linked to the ceremony tomorrow?"

"It's possible but we have yet to verify this fact."

"Will Commander Tucker's disappearance disrupt anything?" Malcolm asked.

"No, the ceremony will continue with or without all five suitors present."

"What is currently being done?"

This came from T'pol. K'lar matched the Vulcan's steady look as he answered.

"Our men are searching the surrounding area for him. Unfortunately, the forest is exceptionally thick and wild there and finding one man may take a while." 

 "The last time a suitor disappeared was about two hundred years ago due to an act of jealousy," the monarch shook his head, frowning. "But since Commander Tucker's presence was not a threat to any of the other suitors, I don't see how something like this could happen. This is most unfortunate, Captain."

"Yes, it is," Archer answered almost absently. "As soon as it is possible, Enterprise will scan for Trip's biosign. Hopefully, we'll have better luck locating him then."

"I beg your pardon, sire," the prime minister's voice interrupted the somber group from the main door.

"Yes, Dakr'a. What is it?"

"I must speak to you privately, Your Majesty, and to Commandant K'lar as well. It … concerns Princess Xanindra."

The mention of his daughter's name caused the monarch to look at the other man in alarm. He quickly excused himself and, accompanied by K'lar, met up with Dakr'a just outside the main door. Occasionally, they would glance back towards the Enterprise officers still seated at the table.

Already troubled by the Prime Minister's tone of voice, Archer's unease deepened when he caught sight of J'ok's stricken look. He turned to T'pol.

"Can you hear what they are saying?"

Her eyebrow rose. 

"It did not occur to me to try. It is unethical to eavesdrop on a private conversation."

"Can. You. Hear. What. They. Are. Saying, Sub-Commander?" Archer repeated, enunciating each word between clenched teeth.

T'pol's face was expressionless as she concentrated on the exchange. She met his eyes.

"Yes."

"Well?" he said exasperatedly when she didn't continue.

She looked steadily back.

"They have just found the guards assigned to Princess Xanindra. One of them is dead. It appears that the princess is missing as well."

He grimaced. _Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse…_

"There's more, Captain."

Archer looked silently at her, waiting.

"They have reason to believe that Commander Tucker was involved in her disappearance."

An undisclosed location

Zenandria

2115 hours

Xanindra awoke first. Disorientated, she sat up slowly and looked around. It was almost pitch black in the small room. She tentatively felt around. A scream caught in her throat when her hands connected with something soft and warm. Quickly pulling her hands back, she stared fearfully at the dark mass on the ground beside her. Moments passed and when the thing on the floor did not jump up and attack her, she slowly reached out a hand and poked it cautiously with a finger. There was something strangely familiar about it.

Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the gloom and she gasped when she recognised what, or rather, who the mass was. Tears gathering in her eyes, she crawled closer and knelt beside him. He was lying sprawled on his uninjured side, his right arm pinned underneath him. A whimper escaped her when she saw that both his wounds were bleeding again.

"Trip!" she whispered, shaking his shoulder, trying to wake him up. When he didn't stir, she shook him again, a little harder this time. But his eyes remained closed, his breathing shallow.

"Why is he still unconscious?" a man's voice came suddenly from the other side of the door, and she instinctively crouched down, and moved closer to the engineer. Her eyes squeezed shut; she crouched there, immobile with fear.

"Are you sure you didn't overdose him or something?" the man continued, his voice harsh.

"How am I supposed to know?" another voice hissed angrily in reply. "It's not like we've used those darts on a human before! And with his injuries–"

"Minor ones at best."

"Perhaps. He wasn't part of the plan! And you know as well as I do the hut wasn't made to keep an adult in…"

"He doesn't know that. Besides, I doubt he would be able to get very far even if he manages to get out, not with his injuries. And I do intend to add some on myself very soon."

"I don't like it! You said no one was going to get hurt."

"No, but things have changed."

"I still say this is a bad idea. You know you're talking about outright murder here…"

Their voices faded as the men walked away, still deep in their discussion.

Xanindra opened her eyes and sat up slowly when it was quiet once more. She realised with growing alarm that they were talking about the unconscious man beside her. She looked down at his still form. What did they mean? Why hadn't he opened his eyes yet? Is he dying? Is he dead?

"Please, Trip," she begged as tears rolled down her face. She shook his shoulder again. "Please wake up…"

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A/N: Special thanks to plumtuckered, novelwriter, invisigoth, kittytrypsin, tracy, Lowenove and sandykitten for your reviews of the last chapter. Am still swamped with work but the next chapter should be up soon. Fingers crossed!


	9. Blame

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Would be truly and gratefully appreciated!

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**Chapter Nine**

Conference Room, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

2120 hours

"What?!" Archer exploded. He suddenly remembered where they were and hurriedly lowered his voice. "That's crazy!"

"Prime Minister Dakr'a feels that Commander Tucker's disappearance was extremely … irregular," T'pol replied, her face inscrutable. 

"Anything else?" Archer asked edgily. 

"No."

He shook his head in disbelief. 

"First he goes missing on their watch, and now they are accusing him of kidnapping? What's next? Murder?!"

"You should calm down, Captain," T'pol warned as his furiously whispered comments were starting to draw curious looks from the others in the room. Archer closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, frustration written all over his face. 

Malcolm frowned as he looked over from his seat at the table, curious about what had just taken place, especially in view of the bits and pieces that he'd overheard. Only his rigid discipline kept him from interrupting his superior officers' conversation as he settled back into his chair. He caught Travis's eye and shrugged faintly. Whatever it was, he suspected that they would probably know soon enough, as the Prime Minister and the Commandant reentered the room.

While K'lar took a seat, Dakr'a stopped beside Xadria's chair. She looked up at him, immediately on her guard.

"What's going on, Dakr'a?" she asked suspiciously.

"Your father requests that you join him in the Great Hall, Princess Xadria," he said in a low but insistent voice. "His Majesty has a matter of outmost importance to discuss with both you and your mother, Your Highness."

A look of apprehension crossed the princess's face at the note of urgency in the request but she excused herself and left the room without any further questions. Heads then turned to the Prime Minister, who took a seat beside K'lar at the table. When the silence dragged on, open curiosity soon turned into troubled glances. After another minute passed without a sound, Archer decided that it was time they found out what was going on. He cleared his throat. 

"Your Excellency?"

The expression on the man's face as he turned towards them destroyed his hope that T'pol might have heard wrongly. Dakr'a's demeanour was stiff as he shot the captain a hostile look. Gone was the genial man who had greeted them just a few nights ago. Beside him, K'lar sat silent, a similar scowl on his face.

Ignoring T'pol unspoken warning, Archer pressed on, desperate to get some answers from the man.

"If it concerns Commander Tucker, don't you think we have the right to know?"

The Prime Minister stared at Archer for a moment and then laughed bitterly. 

"Rights?" he said disdainfully. "You have no rights here!"

"Perhaps not. But Commander Tucker was under Zenandrian protection when he disappeared!"

Dakr'a eyes narrowed. Shaking off K'lar's restraining hand from his arm, he got to his feet and glared coldly at the man seated opposite him.

"For your information, Princess Xanindra has also gone missing. It seems she was last seen in your Commander's presence," he all but spat out the last part of his sentence. 

Shocked by the unexpected turn in the conversation, Malcolm and Travis could only stare at the Zenandrian minister with mouths agape. 

"What are you insinuating, Your Excellency?" Archer asked in a dangerously low voice as he stood up as well, his palms flat on the table. "That Commander Tucker kidnapped Princess Xanindra?"

"All signs currently point to that."

"You can't seriously believe that!" Malcolm spoke up, finding his voice at last. "There is no bloody way Commander Tucker is involved in anyone's kidnapping." 

"Lieutenant Reed is right," Archer said, returning the Zenandrian's glare. "Commandant K'lar said it himself. They found traces of human blood in the conservatory. If anything, Commander Tucker was most probably injured protecting the princess."

"I could be wrong," K'lar defended himself. "Particularly in light of the new developments. For all we know, it may have been planned to look exactly that way."

"Are you saying that he cut himself on purpose?"

"Maybe, or perhaps the princess fought back and injured the Commander when she did," the Commandant retorted.

"What? That's the most ridiculous explanation I've ever heard! Look, Commander Tucker's one of my best officers. He would never hurt a child!"

"Even the best men, Captain Archer–"

"Don't give me that!"

"There is a lot to be gained–"

"Now wait one bloody minute–!"

The room was soon filled with angry male voices as the argument escalated. If T'pol had any opinion about the whole farce, it didn't show on her face, as she silently observed the dispute that was taking place with hardly any change in expression. As such, she was also the only one who noticed the arrival of the king and queen. They were clearly worried and upset by the recent news regarding their daughter. J'ok suddenly looked a lot older as worry lines fanned the sides of his eyes and around his mouth. Mylir's eyes were red-rimmed. She had obviously been crying. The royal pair stood at the door and stared at the angry group, momentarily nonplussed by the hostility present in the room. 

Before T'pol could alert anyone to their presence, the king's voice roared over the pandemonium.

"Silence!"

It took both humans and Zenandrians by surprise, effectively silencing everyone in mid-shout. The young Vulcan watched with a subtly raised brow as this led to a lot of hasty greetings and bowing by the Zenandrians. Equally mortified but unsure of what they should do, Archer and his crew stood almost at attention and waited with the rest until the royal pair had taken their places at the table.

Once seated, King J'ok looked disapprovingly at the people assembled in front of him. For a long while, no one but T'pol met his eyes; each looking more than a little shamefaced by their recent conduct.

"You may take your seats," J'ok said finally. He continued after a short pause, "Captain Archer…" 

"Your Majesty," Archer turned to the monarch. He was just about to apologise for what had happened when the king spoke first.

"… I trust that you and your crew would abide by our laws as long as you are here."

After a moment's hesitation, Archer nodded slowly. 

J'ok's normally good-humoured face was forbidding as he continued, "I take it that you now know that my youngest child is also missing."

"Yes, we do."

"It has come to our attention that the Commander was the last person to be seen with her. Xanindra's disappearance changes everything, especially issues concerning Commander Tucker."

"Your Majesty?"

"Their disappearances may or may not be connected since she had been spending a lot of time in his company. However, my men believe that they are. While I understand the concern you have regarding your officer, Captain Archer, I'm afraid that he is currently a suspect in her disappearance, unless new evidence can be found to prove otherwise."

He held up a hand when Archer looked as if he was going to protest.

"Nevertheless, as it is in your world, he will also be considered innocent until proven guilty." 

The king nodded at the astonishment on the younger man's face. 

"Yes, Commander Tucker has been quite informative about the judicial system of Earth."

"Evidently so."

"Then can we count on your co-operation on this, Captain?"

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty." 

"Excellent." 

The king then turned his attention to his own people on the other side of the table.

"Dakr'a…"

"Yes, Sire."

"Regardless of the circumstances, this is not how we treat visitors to Zenandria," he said, effectively wiping the slight smirk off the other man's face.

"I'm apologise, Your Majesty. Things got out of hand just now."

"So it would seem. I understand your feelings in this matter. But please see that this doesn't happen again."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Now … find my daughter."

Both men stood up and bowed to their king and queen. As they prepared to leave the table, Archer spoke up.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"We would like to offer our assistance in the search for both Princess Xanindra and Commander Tucker."

"K'lar?" the monarch raised an eyebrow at his Security Officer.

"I'm not sure if this is such a good idea, Your Majesty…"

Seeing that the king might just agree with the Commandant, T'pol spoke up for the first time since the argument began.

"Enterprise has the personnel as well as the equipment to aid in this matter, Your Majesty. It is only logical that you utilise what we have so that the search can be conducted more rapidly and thoroughly."

Mylir, who had been silently observing everything until now, leaned close and whispered into her husband's ear. After a short while, he nodded and turned back to the people seated at the table.

"The Sub-Commander is right. We would accomplish much more if we were to work together. What do you propose, Captain Archer?" 

An undisclosed location

Zenandria

2150 hours

Trip slowly became aware of two things as he painfully clawed his way into consciousness. The first was that he was lying down and the ground below his cheek was hard and cold. The other was that he was lying on one side and that his right arm had gone totally numb. He tried moving but all he could manage to do was to twitch the fingers of his left hand. 

The temptation to just float away once again into oblivion was so strong that he almost gave into it. Then he heard a faint and disturbingly familiar sound. He frowned. His befuddled mind tried placing it but couldn't. _What was that?_

Although still unable to place the sound, he somehow knew instinctively that it was important that he stayed conscious. Struggling to stay awake, he slowly opened his eyes and winced at the pain that seemed to be in a hurry to reassert itself. He ached … everywhere; even in places he didn't know it was even _possible_ to feel any pain. He tried moving again and this time managed to turn stiffly until he was finally lying on his back.

He winced. Any movement he made, however slight, caused the throbbing in his head to increase agonisingly. Disorientated and more than a little nauseous, he lay completely still and stared hazily up at the crude ceiling, waiting for the pounding to subside. _What happened?_ _The last thing I remembered was…_

His eyes widened as the pieces slowly fell into place. Fear clutched at his heart as he desperately tried to look around for any sign of the young princess. Did she manage to get away?__

Suddenly, a child's sniffle broke the silence of the room again and this time, he had no problem identifying what it was. Carefully turning his head, he peered into the surrounding shadows. At first, he saw nothing. Then his eyes fell upon something dark huddled in a corner. He was still trying to figure out what it was when another sob escaped it.

"Xanindra?" he whispered hoarsely.

She looked up, startled. For a while, she didn't move but just sat there looking at him, as if she couldn't believe her own eyes.

"Trip!" She hurried to his side and knelt beside him. "You're alive!"

"Jus' barely," he groaned, trying to sit up. Her hands on his right shoulder, she helped him up gently and gradually guided him to a wall, where he leaned gratefully against it. 

"How … long was I out?" he rasped, coughing. 

"I don't know," she whispered. "I … I shook you for so long but you didn't even move. I thought you w-were n-never g-going to w-wake up…"

Her voice cracked at the last few words and he looked up at her, worried. Looking closely at her face, he saw that she had started crying again. He felt a pang of regret that he wasn't there for her when she first regained consciousness. No one should have to go through this kind of terrifying experience, let alone a child. Ignoring the pounding in his temples, he hugged her to him as she started to sob uncontrollably. 

He rocked her gently until her sobs quietened down into sniffs. She moved to wipe her eyes, pushing herself upright as she did so. He flinched, a gasp escaping him, when she accidentally pressed against his injured side. Covering her mouth with her hands, she looked at him, horrified.

"S-Sorry…!" 

"S'ok," Trip answered thickly, closing his eyes against the wave of nausea that swept over him. He wondered what were in those darts. Feeling extremely lightheaded, he took slow deep breaths, struggling to stay conscious as his heart pounded painfully.

"… anything I can do?"

Xanindra's voice broke through the slowly receding haze of pain and he focused his bleary eyes on her anxious face.

"Trip?"

"Some …water … would be nice…" he managed to gasp.

She looked around for a moment and then hurried to a corner of the room. She soon returned with a small earthen bowl filled with some liquid. Trip looked suspiciously at it. The last time he drank something he didn't recognise, he found himself more or less betrothed to a princess. 

"What … is it?"

"I think it's water," she made a face. "A man brought it in a while ago."

When he could finally move without feeling the need to throw up, he took the bowl from her. Taking a tentative sip of the liquid, he shuddered and stuck out his tongue.

"If … this is their idea o' water, I can't wait for breakfast…," he groaned, putting the bowl down on. "Let's hope that they've pecan pie on their menu."

When she didn't respond as he had hoped, he sighed and took her small hands into his. She looked down, her bottom lip quivering.

"I'm s-scared."

He hugged her to him once more, stroking her hair. 

"I know, sweetheart. I know…"

* * * * *

"What's … pecan pie?"

Trip lifted his head from where he had rested it against the wall at her question, relieved that she was finally talking once more. He hadn't been able to coax a single word out of her since she passed him that bowl of water.

"So, you _were_ listening after all," he drawled, smiling at the young girl sitting beside him. "Pecan pie? It's a type of dessert from where I come from."

"Is it nice?"

"Yea…it's nice. Tastes … sweet."

She rubbed her hand over her eyes. 

"Sweet … That sounds nice."

"Well, tell you what. When we get out of here, we'll go up to Enterprise and I'll get ya a huge slice, 'kay?"

Trip was glad to see some of the fear leave her eyes. She tentatively returned his smile. 

"Okay."

"Good," he said as he watched his youthful friend settle down beside him, making sure he kept his own fear and apprehension well hidden from her.

Feeling much better, albeit still somewhat shaky, he leaned back against the wall and wondered idly about the time. If only there was a way to contact Enterprise. He went through his pockets earlier for the communicator but it was gone. Not much of a surprise there. He looked curiously around. It was still too dark too see much but it seemed as if they were in a crudely built wooden hut. He cautiously fingered the wall behind him with his hands, his hopes rising. If the hut was basically made of wood, there may be a chance for them to get out after all.


	10. Cooperation

Disclaimer: Still there in Chapter One

Feedback: Yes, please!

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**Chapter Ten**

An undisclosed location

Zenandria

2230 hours

"Well, at least your dad knows where we were last," Trip said, trying to keep her talking. The last thing he needed was for the child to go into shock. "Should be a cavalry charging here any minute now."

His smile faded as he caught sight of her face. 

"What?"

"He … uh … he doesn't know. No one does."

"No one does," Trip repeated blankly. He scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Well, Father did agree to me visiting the conservatory once or twice a week," Xanindra hurried to explain. "Kind of…"

There was something in the way she said that that gave him pause.  He looked at her suspiciously.

"Is there somethin' yer not tellin' me, Your Highness?"

For a long while the young princess sat there with a guilty look on her face. Then she nodded slowly.

"Yes …"

* * * * *

Trip buried his head in his arms with a sigh. 

"But you failed t'mention to your guards that you weren't exactly allowed to go to the conservatory ev'ry day," he muttered in a strangled voice.

She bit her bottom lip, looking down at the dirt floor. 

"I sort of modified the orders on their order blocks before they got them," she mumbled.

"Modified the orders–" Trip raised his head from his arms and glowered at her. "And how'd you do that?"

She fidgeted, looking distinctly uncomfortable. 

"I'm … uh … really good with computers…"

He shot her a look.

"Yer weren't s'pposed to be at the conservatory at all t'day, were you?"

The expression on her face was answer enough. Trip groaned and dropped his head back into his arms.

"Please, Trip," she pleaded. "Don't be angry."

He let out a long deep breath and then looked back up at her.

"'M not," he said finally, keeping his head still as he answered, mindful of the ache there.

"Really?"

She beamed at him. The engineer threw her a stern glance in return.

"Yes, really. But you do know that yer goin' to be in a whole lot of trouble when we get back to t'palace…" 

He didn't finish the sentence but cocked a brow at her.

"Oh..."

Eyes downcast, she pushed out her lower lip and sighed dejectedly, her rueful expression eliciting a tired smile from him. He struggled to his feet and staggered around painfully for a moment as he adjusted to his injuries, allowing his uninjured leg to take most of his weight. Looking down at her, he held out a hand.

"C'mon, Your Highness. Let's find us a way outta here."

The Conservatory, The Royal Zenandrian Palace Grounds

Zenandria

2315 hours

"Is that it?"

"Yes, unfortunately," K'lar replied, his expression equally disheartened. "As you can see, the whole area is fairly large and dense so the search can only be carried out on foot. We've only managed to cover that much so far. Most of my men are currently out there searching, along with many other volunteers."

Malcolm gave a frustrated sigh as he looked at the man standing across the table. Charts and maps were strewn haphazardly all over the place as the three of them looked over a map outlining the search area.

"What about the vehicle that brought the princess and Commander Tucker here? Any sign of it?"

The Commandant shook his head. 

"Not yet. Whoever took them, assuming that they were both taken by the same party, must have taken it with them."

"Or hidden it somewhere," Travis muttered gloomily. "At this rate, we'll never find them." 

The ensign glanced over at the two security officers who were studying another pile of charts. They had arrived on Shuttlepod Two along with Phlox, upon Archer's orders, over an hour ago. Foster and Zabel looked up and shook their heads at his silent query before returning to the stack of charts in front of them.

"You mentioned a scan from Enterprise?" K'lar's question caused Travis to turn back to the men in front of him.

"Well, until the flare is over, I'm afraid we're literally flying blind too," Malcolm answered bluntly. "And we are working on the assumption that they are still somewhere on palace grounds. For all we know, they could be on their way to another planet by now."

"No shuttle has been allowed to leave–"

"I know," Malcolm interjected with a sigh. "Sorry. It's just that this is so bloody frustrating."

He spotted another chart and dragged it over. 

"What about this section?

K'lar studied it for a while and then shook his head.

"Nothing there but heavily-wooded forest. It's part of the forest reserve."

Malcolm was about to reply when his communicator chirped. He flipped it open.

"Reed here."

"How is it coming along?" Archer asked.

"Not good, sir. We still have a lot of ground to cover. Unless we're able to use the scanners, it may take days to find them."

"Time is something we don't have. Just keep trying."

"Aye, Captain."

* * * * *

Archer met T'pol's eyes once Malcolm had signed off.

"Lieutenant Reed's assessment is correct," she commented, reacting to his unspoken question "It would be quite impossible to locate a single man in such a large area, especially at night, without any of the scanners."

"We don't have much of a choice at the moment, do we?" Archer retorted sharply.

She raised an eyebrow at his tone of voice and he held up a hand in a gesture of apology. "I'm sorry. The situation seems largely impossible, doesn't it?"

"We will find Commander Tucker and the young princess, Captain," T'pol answered. "It only remains to be seen how soon we can accomplish it."

Archer grimaced at her evenly spoken answer.

"How can you be so clinical about this?" he demanded. "This is Trip we're talking about."

"I fail to see how being emotional will help in this, or in any crisis, for that matter. As for Commander Tucker, he is a well-trained officer. I am sure that he will be all right, wherever he is at present."

Archer made no reply as he stared up into the night sky. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that T'pol was right. Trip had been in tight spots before. He hoped that his friend would be able to get out of this one as he did the others. He heaved a frustrated breath. If only they knew where to start looking.

While Phlox prepared the medical team at the palace, Malcolm and his security team, along with Travis, were working with K'lar to coordinate the search of the palace grounds from the conservatory. In the meantime, T'pol and himself, along with Dakr'a, concentrated on retracing the engineer's steps, with the anticipation that someone may have seen something that would help them locate the missing two. So far, nothing useful had turned up. A thought occurred to him and he turned to his Science Officer.

"When's the next projected flare?"

"At 0300 hours."

"Any indication that the present one is drawing to a close any time soon?"

Despite her steady state of detachment, Archer could tell that the Vulcan was as worried as he was when she answered him.

"No, Captain."

An undisclosed location

Zenandria

2340 hours

"I heard someone's scream before I entered the buildin'. It was one o' your men, wasn't it? 

Sitting close by, Xanindra shuddered at the memory. 

"Yes, Ve'ltr was trying to warn me. I think they shot him."

"Well, don't worry. We'll–" Trip grunted as he tugged at the piece of wood. "–make sure those men get what they deserve when we get outta here."

He shifted slightly, to avoid putting any other unnecessary pressure on his injuries, as he pulled harder. The pain of his wounds had subsided into a dull throb but the queasiness had remained. A scrutiny of the walls showed that they were made of thick pieces of wood crudely but effectively put together. Finally finding a piece that protruded out at the back wall, he had been trying his best to create a hole big enough for them to get through. So far, he had only managed to wrench a few pieces free.

The thick branch finally came away in his hands and he paused, winded from the strenuous tugging. He pulled experimentally at the other branches next to the gap he had managed to make but soon gave up when he couldn't dislodge any of the bigger ones. His head drooped as he leaned back against the adjacent wall, utterly worn out. If he could just rest his eyes for a minute…

"–Trip?"

He was floating away into the darkness when Xanindra's voice penetrated the fog of exhaustion that he had fallen into. Snapping awake, he found her looking anxiously at him, her hands gripping his arm hard. He wondered how long she had been calling out to him.

"Sorry, must've drifted off there," he whispered, his voice rough and low. He cleared his throat. "I'm ok."

She swallowed and then nodded solemnly, her eyes huge in her small, pale face. He gave her a weak smile and then sat up straighter, wincing at the stabbing pain that accompanied the simple action. Taking a deep breath, he leaned towards the opening he had made and peered through. It was almost as dark out there, as it was inside, and for a moment he wondered about the shadowy shapes he saw outside. 

Then the moon came out from behind the clouds and his heart sank as he realised, straight away, what they were. Trees – trees and bushes, and nothing else. This meant that they were somewhere within the forest and, as far as he could tell, entirely cut off from any immediate help.

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A/N: To those who've been following this, thanks for staying with me so far. We're more than half through. Yay! [Chapter 11 will be up in a few days' time.] Special thanks to tracy, plumtuckered, Lowenove and Deborah for your feedback on Nine. :)


	11. Flight

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Nothing encourages more … except maybe money, but since I'm not making anything from this … :D

A/N: Speaking of encouragement, to all those who read and reviewed, I really appreciate your comments for Chapter Ten. Hope that this and the remaining chapters will live up to your expectations! Thanks for staying with me so far!

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**Chapter Eleven**

Forest

Zenandria

0030 hours

Trip examined the opening he'd made in the wall carefully, checking for any sharp edges that he might have missed. It didn't look as if he could get any of the other surrounding branches loose. Although somewhat a tight fit, he was certain that he'd be able to squeeze through. He sat back on his haunches and eyed his youthful companion as she yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Not surprisingly, the day's events must have finally caught up with her. He was amazed that she had lasted this long, given what they'd just been through. Feeling dead on his feet himself, he wondered, for the first time since he regained consciousness, if there was even a possibility of escape for the both of them.

With a muttered curse, he abruptly pushed the negative thoughts away, the memory of how ruthless the men were when they had hunted them down earlier strengthening his resolve. He had to get Xanindra away from here before they came back. Who knows what they had in mind for either of them. He put out his hand. 

"C'mon, it's time to go."

Quickly and quietly, he helped her through the hole in the wall and then wiggled through himself. Once outside, they crouched near the hut while he looked around, trying to get his bearings. 

"Recognise anythin'?"

Xanindra shook her head, her eyes wide with fear.

"That's ok," he soothed. "Don't worry 'bout it. We'll jus' keep goin'. There should be people looking for us by now. Sooner or later, someone will find us. If we're lucky, it'll be sooner."

They had not gone far when they heard shouts behind them. Trip turned back for a quick look, alarmed by the anger in the men's voices. There was no telling what they might do if they were to catch up with them. He quickened their pace until they were almost running. Even with the full moon, it was so dark at times that he was amazed that they hadn't stumbled over a branch and crashed to the ground by now, considering the pace at which they were going. 

Suddenly, they came upon an old forest trail and halted beside it, breathing hard. The engineer looked at the track with some reservation – some parts were so overgrown with undergrowth that it had completely disappeared. But since it was better than stumbling aimlessly in the dark, he decided that it would be best that they followed it, with the hope that it might eventually lead them somewhere.

They ran on, keeping to the narrow trail, at times narrowly avoiding the low branches that were in the way. Once, preoccupied with Xanindra's progress, Trip did not see the branch on time and hissed out an agonised breath when it whacked into his injured side. Gritting his teeth at each pounding step, he was painfully aware that his wounds were bleeding again. The crude bandages that he had fashioned from one of Xanindra's inner skirts were already soaked through. At this rate, he might just bleed to death before they could get any help.

Soon spots began to appear in front of his eyes and Trip knew that they had to stop, even if it gave their former captors an opportunity to catch up with them. He spotted a nearby bush that looked big enough to shield them from prying eyes and headed towards it. They crouched there, using the time to catch their breath. A wave of dizziness suddenly swept over him and he closed his eyes, his breath coming in short, burning gasps. A small cool hand touched his cheek and he looked up, meeting Xanindra's solemn gaze.

"You are ill."

Her simple statement, spoken with the typical open honesty of a child, brought a slight smile to his face. _Out of the mouths of babes_, he thought as he nodded slowly at her, his heart thudding painfully in his chest. He'd been trying to ignore the fact that his temperature was higher than normal for the past few hours, probably caused by a combination of the drugs and the wounds he'd suffered. They were most likely infected; the last time he checked, conditions in the hut weren't exactly setting the standards for cleanliness. The night air was cool against his sweat-dampened clothes and he shivered, clenching his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering.

"I'll be okay," he assured her, wishing that he could believe the lie himself. He was certain that Enterprise would be searching for them by now. He'd bet his life on it. All he needed to do was to keep them moving and hope that Captain Archer would find them first before their former captors did.

A bird hooted in the dark, and they jumped, startled by the unfamiliar sound. Trip looked up, searching for the source of the sound. It was then that he realised that they could actually see past the thick canopy of leaves from where they stood. Immediately, he scanned the sky for any familiar sight that might give him a clue to their current position, his hopes rising as he spotted the tip of a tower, appearing high above the trees some distance away.

"Look! What's that?" he asked, pointing it out to his young companion. "Do you recognise the building?"

"No," she answered, wringing her hands together as she studied the structure with rounded eyes.

In the distance, a twig snapped, then another, as their pursuers grew chillingly nearer. Trip took a nervous look at the enveloping darkness and then promptly made up his mind.

"How well d'you know this part of the woods?" he asked, his voice rough from anxiety and fatigue.

Xanindra gazed back at him in bewilderment, and then shook her head. Trip rubbed a weary hand over his face at her answer. What he was about to ask her to do may be no better than if she stayed with him. But he knew, without a doubt, that they only had a remote chance of outrunning their pursuers at their present speed, especially with his current condition. This might be the only way that at least one of them got away.

"Listen, I need you to follow this trail and head towards that building as fast as you can. Do not stop for anything, ya hear me?"

She stared at him, a puzzled frown on her face.

"Me? But what about you? Aren't you coming too?"

"No," Trip admitted reluctantly. "I'm slowing us down. It'd be faster if you went alone." 

"No, I'm staying here with you," she declared, crossing her arms. 

Trip grimaced, realising that it was going to be harder than he thought. Her answer was only a soft whisper but it was filled with the defiance of one who was used to getting her own way. 

"Xanindra, listen–"

"No!"

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, further dishevelling the blond strands.

"Look, this isn't the time for you to go all stubborn on me! Those men back there want you for a reason and I don't think it's to throw you a party!"

He softened his tone when she stared silently at the ground, her features strained.

"Don't worry 'bout me, al'right? I need you to get to safety while I lead 'em away from you." 

"No! What if they catch you?"

"Then … then I'll stall them, for as long as I can," he said, grasping at the first thing that came to mind. "And I'll just wait for help to arrive. The Cap'n's probably searched half the forest by now. He'll find me soon enough."

She shook her head obstinately.

His patience was at the end of its tether and it was all he could do to stop himself from yelling at her. Taking a deep breath, he tried again.

"Xanindra, please," he said tightly. "Just go before they come. Please."

Her eyes fixed on a spot on the ground; she mumbled her answer, so softly that he almost missed it. 

"I c-can't."

He took her hands in his. 

"Listen to me. Yes. You. Can…"

"I'm really s-scared."

"I know, sweetheart. But you need to do this, 'kay?"

She peered hesitantly at the dark forest ahead of her and then looked back at him, her eyes tearing. Her face crumpled as she choked back a terrified sob. He muttered a curse as he hugged her briefly, and then gave her a gentle push, away from him.

"Go. Make sure you follow the path till yer get to the tower," he reminded her. "I'll see you later, al'right?"

"You p-promise?"

"I promise. Now, go!"

After one last look at him, she turned and ran off. As he stood there and watched her slight figure disappear into the darkness of the forest, he hoped fervently that he was doing the right thing. An angry shout from somewhere behind him shook him out of his mild stupor and he looked around, trying to decide which way to go. With another glance at the path that the young princess had taken, the engineer turned on his heels and moved, as quickly as he could, in the direction that he hoped would lead their pursuers as far away as possible from their main quarry.

The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

0125 hours

"Archer."

"Captain," Sato's voice came through the communicator, her relief obvious even through the slight interference in the transmission. "We picked up Commander Tucker's biosign a few minutes ago."

Archer stood up straighter, his weariness dissipating at the news. 

"Good work. Send the coordinates down."

"Yes, Captain. Transmitting now."

Forest

Zenandria

0130 hours

His fever raging, Trip stumbled on mindlessly; barely aware of where he was going. All he knew was that he had purposely left the trail some time back and that he had to keep moving, away from the angry shouts behind him. He seriously needed rest but was afraid that he might not be able to get back on his feet again if he did stop, even for short while. His vision blurred suddenly and he shook his head, trying to clear it. Looking down, he noted with a vague sense of amazement that his feet were still moving. _Jus' like that rabbit_, he thought, almost hysterically, as he limped heavily along. 

When he looked up again, there was a Zenandrian standing in his way with a weapon pointed straight at him. 

Trip's eyes widened even as the man tried to move out of the way, both realising a little too late what was about to happen. Unable to stop himself in time, Trip collided with the man at full speed, crashing the both of them painfully to the ground. For a moment, he just lay there, fighting for breath, as the world faded in and out.

The man cursed as he struggled to sit up, his hand reaching for the weapon that had fallen beside him. The sound of the man's voice snapped everything back into focus and Trip scrambled to his feet, ignoring the stabbing pain caused by the sudden movements. He tried to move away but, as he did so, a hand reached out and seized him by the ankle.

Pulled off balance, Trip tumbled to the ground again but rolled to one side, away from the man's reach. He quickly stood up and assumed a defensive stance, his eyes wary. The other man's stare never wavered as he too got to his feet, a smirk on his face as he took in his opponent's injuries and exhausted visage.

 "Well, Commander Tucker," he taunted as he pointed the weapon at the Starfleet officer once more. "Enjoying your moonlight stroll?"

The fact that he was called by name barely registered in Trip's feverish mind as he put all caution aside and charged the man, catching his adversary off guard.

"What the–?" 

Trip's shoulders slammed into his enemy's abdomen, cutting his exclamation short and sending them both crashing to the ground for a second time. There was a frantic struggle for the weapon as they got to their feet. Although his antagonist was heavier and stronger, Trip's adrenaline more than made up for it. The man managed to finger the weapon temporarily before Trip kicked out at his hand, knocking it away. 

With a curse, the man lashed out, hitting the engineer hard in the ribs. Gasping for breath, Trip danced deftly out of reach of the second blow. He responded with an upward swing and struck the man in the jaw, stunning him. As his opponent fell to the ground, Trip continued with a kick to the man's stomach, keeping him down on the ground. He was just about to land the final punch when someone called out to him from behind.

"Commander Tucker!"

Automatically, he turned towards the voice and the butt of the gun caught him hard at his right temple. He spun around and fell to his knees, dazed by the blow. The blood from the gash dripped into his eye, turning everything into an agonising red haze as he struggled weakly to stand. The man raised his weapon again and struck down hard one more time. This time Trip collapsed without a sound. He went limp and half fell onto the first man, who swore forcefully and pushed him off.

"What took you so long?" he demanded as he stood up, shaking leaves off his clothes. He looked down at the crumpled body of the engineer, hatred in his eyes, and gave the unconscious man a vicious kick in the ribs.

Satisfied, he straightened his uniform, and turned to the second man.

"Did you find the girl?"

The other man shook his head. With a loud curse, the first man looked down at the still figure on the ground. He glared at the surrounding jungle and then looked back at his cohort. 

"Never mind, she won't get very far alone. Tell the men to continue searching," he instructed before indicating Trip with his foot. "And take him back to the hut. If we can't find the child, I'm sure the Commander will be more than willing to tell us where he has hidden her. We'll just have to provide him with the right … encouragement, of course."

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A/N2:   I'm a little green when it comes to action sequences so I hope you'll all bear with me if they should get a little confusing. Thanks! :)


	12. Interrogation

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Yes, please! [psst! cash and cheques go into the other box…]

A/N: Thanks for all the feedback on the action part. :)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter Twelve**

Forest

Zenandria

0215 hours

"What do you say, Commander? Tell me where Princess Xanindra is and I'll make this easier for you … hmmm?"

Hands bound tightly in front of him, and head spinning, Trip strove to remain upright on the chair as he squinted up at his captors. The huge man who stood menacingly beside him was a total stranger but the tall one asking the questions looked disturbingly familiar. He frowned, plagued by the sense of familiarity that lay just beyond his mind's grasp. He gave up as his head pounded excruciatingly. It hurt too much to think. All his strength was currently concentrated on keeping himself conscious. The last two times he had blacked out, he had been awoken by painful kicks to his already agonisingly bruised side. Judging by how hard it was to breathe, he wouldn't be surprised if several, or even all, of his ribs were either broken or at least severely bruised.

"I'm not … tellin' you … a single thing," he replied through clenched teeth. "Why'd you want her for anyway? She's just a child. Leave her … alone…"

"Isn't it obvious, Commander?" the leader sneered, visibly amused by Tucker's show of defiance. "Because she's my key to the throne, that's why."

Trip blinked, astounded by the answer. The Zenandrian laughed aloud at his expression.

"You look skeptical, my friend. Here, let me explain something to you …"

He bent close to Tucker's ear and whispered for a few moments. The injured officer's eyes widened as the implication of the other man's words became clear.

"Why you–"

His judgment clouded by rage, he lunged at the man, and for the second time that night, took both Zenandrians completely by surprise. Before the other man, who was standing just behind his chair, could react, Trip had already rammed his adversary hard against the wall of the hut and was trying his best to strangle him. Only the bindings around his hands prevented him from carrying out the task successfully. 

With a roar, the second Zenandrian quickly pried the enraged engineer loose from his leader and dragged him away. Shoved roughly back onto his seat, Trip tried to break free but conceded defeat when a brutal punch to his side turned everything hazy for a fleeting moment. Breathing hard, he sat quietly with his head bowed, fists clenched tightly in front of him.

The man coughed, rubbing a hand across his throat. He then eyed Tucker with a frosty glare as he straightened out his uniform.

"My dear Commander, I'll have to ask you to be less barbaric with my clothes. After all, I plan to wear this when I claim Xadria's hand in marriage in a few short hours. Then, she will pay dearly for making a fool out of me," he vowed with a snarl.

As his captive lifted his head slowly and glared at him, the man continued, almost meditatively, his eyes half closed, "You know, Mr Tucker, if you and your ship hadn't turned up in the first place, all of this could have been avoided."

 "Now it's all our fault?" Trip exclaimed in disbelief. He shook his head. "Y'know what? Yer crazier than I thought …"

The man smirked – a hard, hostile smile – the perfect complement to the expression that shone chillingly in his eyes.

"And you, my obstinate friend, are in no position to insult anyone," he interjected smoothly. "I ask you again, where is the child?"

"Go to h–" Trip gasped in pain as another blow caused spots to dance in front of his eyes. 

Once again, the man bent close and the engineer had to stop himself from recoiling in disgust.

"We could do this the painful way," he whispered into his ear. "And I assure you, Commander, it will be exceedingly painful. Or you could just save yourself the whole experience and just tell us where the child is."

"I'm not tellin' you anythin', yer hear me?" Trip yelled angrily as he jerked away, trying to get as far from his antagonist as he could.

The man straightened slowly, a dark scowl on his face. Without warning, his hand lashed out and he backhanded the prisoner hard. The blow, which caught Trip unawares, jerked his head back and split his lower lip. The world shot out of focus as his head fell forward once more, his chin coming to rest on his chest. If it weren't for the hand that was gripping him hard on one shoulder, he would have fallen off the chair at that point.

Eyeing the semi-conscious engineer with open disdain, the man tugged at the front of his uniform, straightening it. He then sighed dramatically and said with a cruel smile, "I guess we'll just have to spend some quality time together and do this the painful way after all. How nice…"

* * * * *

Screaming. There was someone screaming close by. Trip tried to raise his hands to his ears to block the sound out but they wouldn't co-operate. Then, consciousness came roaring back and he realised with a start that the screams were coming from him. He struggled blindly against whatever that was holding him down, trying to break free, as the world narrowed into a single sensation. Pain. Another agonised scream escaped him as the foot ground harder onto his injured leg. The wound gaped open, soaking the already saturated bandage with fresh blood.

Just when he was about to pass out again, the pressure on his leg lessened tremendously and, along with it, went most of the pain. Drained, his head lolled listlessly between his shoulders as he choked in a breath, coughing, tasting blood in his mouth. The throbbing in his head increased, along with his nausea and he retched weakly, spitting out saliva and blood. A rough hand grabbed his hair and yanked his head back.

"I'm going to ask you one last time. Where is the child?"

Trip swallowed with some difficulty, his mouth dry. With considerable effort, he peered at the man standing in front of him as everything swam slowly into focus. His lips parted to bare bloodstained teeth in a faint mimicry of a smile.

"Kiss … my–" he slurred. A hard fist to his injured side stole the rest of his breath away, the punch causing everything to go dim and blurry once more. Head bowed, he fell quiet and closed his eyes, body tense as he steeled himself for the next blow.

The Zenandrian's anger increased when he realised that he was not going to get anything from his prisoner. With a roar of anger, he raised his fist again, aiming for the face. Before he could strike the blow, however, a voice called out from the entrance of the hut.

"Sir! We have the princess."

Concentrating solely on the simple task of getting some much-needed air into his lungs, Trip moaned weakly as the words finally penetrated the fog of pain that surrounded him. Dark despair tore into him as he watched his captor walk nearer with the young girl in his arms, a smirk of pure satisfaction on his face.

 "You see, my friend," he gloated as he stood over his hapless captive. "You could've saved yourself a whole lot of pain. I always get what I want."

At the sight of Xanindria's seemingly lifeless body, a red mist seemed to descend upon Trip's eyes and he would have charged the man again were he not forcefully restrained by the man who was standing right behind him. As exhaustion and his mounting fever made him an easy man to hold down, all he could manage was a silent glare as he looked on.

The leader laughed derisively as he caught the blaze of anger in Tucker's red-rimmed eyes. 

"Such deep concern," he mocked. "Not to worry, Commander, she is unharmed. Just sleeping off the drugs from the dart. I believe you have had a sample yourself although I'm afraid you're not reacting too well to it. You look rather … off-colour."

"You … let  … her go, yer sonnova–"

"Now, now," the man interrupted sardonically. "No swearing in front of children. Now, if you'd excuse me, I've a throne to claim."

With another triumphant look, he turned on his heels and made for the door, his prize in his arms. Trip closed his eyes briefly, trying his hardest to ignore the sharp searing pain that washed over him as he hung his head in the agony of defeat. He'd failed her. _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…_

Lost in his own misery, he wasn't aware that the second man had left his side and was conversing softly with his leader at the door until a voice called out to him.

"And, by the way, Commander Tucker …"

Trip looked up slowly and met his tormentor's cold yellow eyes. 

"I do hope you'll enjoy the rest of your stay with us …"

* * * * *

Xanindra opened her eyes and blinked in confusion, her head heavy. Slowly, her vision cleared and she looked up in wonder into a familiar face. He was staring at her, a worried frown on his handsome face.

"Ri'krd!" she cried, launching herself into his arms.

He gave a quiet laugh as he hugged her back. After a moment, he gently disengaged her arms from around his neck and looked solemnly down at her.

"We've got to go now, before they come looking for you," he whispered urgently.

Glancing past him, she gasped at the sight of a man lying face down on the ground and turned back questioningly at her rescuer.

"Who–?"                           

"Never mind. I'll explain later. First, we've got to get away from here."

Xanindra's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered what had happened. She had been running along the path just like Trip told her when she had felt a prick and then nothing.

"Trip!" she breathed, looking around her. She caught sight of a familiar hut through the thick foliage that blocked them from unwelcome eyes and realised that they were not far away from where the Starfleet officer and herself were captives not too long ago. When she failed to locate him anywhere, she looked back at her friend with panic in her eyes. 

"Where is he? Is he here?"

"I don't know," Ri'krd shook his head unsmilingly.

"But we've got to go back and look for him!"

"Shh! Not so loud. What we need to do is to leave here now or we're going to be captured as well."

"But, Trip…"

"No, Princess Xanindra," he said firmly. "I know he's your friend, but you're my first priority. Let's get you to safety first and then, if there's time, I'll come back and look for him, okay?"

She studied him for a while and then nodded reluctantly. 

"Okay," she said, getting unsteadily to her feet. He looked on with a frown as she tried to walk. When she faltered in her next few steps, he bit back a curse and scooped her into his arms. Once he had her tucked securely against his body, he ran as fast as he could, heading towards the direction of the palace.


	13. Desperation

Disclaimer: Still there in Chapter One

Feedback: Pretty please?

A/N: This is for plumtuckered, who came through when I needed some crucial answers. I'd almost decided to give up on the rest of the story when I got your reply. Thank you so very much! :) Hugs also to my beta for being the best!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter Thirteen**

Forest

Zenandria

0255 hours

"Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it."

Trip sat with his back to the wall, eyes closed, as his body trembled sporadically. Head bowed and knees drawn up, he took short painful breaths, fighting the darkness that threatened to draw him under yet again. The three men had followed their leader out of hut but not before one of them had made him that unpleasant promise, accompanying it with a kick to his already tender ribs. For a long while after they were gone, he had lay still on the ground, watching the world wash chaotically in and out of focus. 

Finally, struggling against the burning sensation in his chest, he had painfully dragged himself to his current position in the empty room, by instinct choosing the darkest corner of the hut, and as near to the door as he could get. Sitting up with some difficulty, he leaned against the wall, the exertion of the simple task taking up most of his remaining strength. After a moment, he opened his eyes. A sense of hopelessness engulfed him as he lifted his head to look around – the door was locked and they had patched up the hole he made in the wall. He doubted he had the strength or the time to make another.

_Stop fighting. You've lost. They'll never find you in time. Never…_

The viciousness of the words that came unbidden to his mind lashed out at him. He flinched, unable to help himself, even though he knew that it was only all in his mind. Suppressing the urge to scream, he brought his hands to his face, eyes shut tightly and teeth clenched hard. _No! Stop it! Quit thinkin' like that!_

It was a while before the sharp edge of despair that had suddenly come upon him eventually passed – before he could make himself open his eyes again. Taking another agonising breath, he looked blankly down at his hands, which were still bound tightly together. 

With an anguished cry of frustration, he struggled feverishly to break free of the bonds but soon gave up when all he managed to do was to rub his wrists raw, wincing as the rope, now tinted red with blood, bit excruciatingly into his flesh. Choking back a sob, he made himself take deep breaths as he slowly got himself under control once more, calling upon his years of training as an officer of Starfleet. Relatively calmer after a while, he opened his right hand and stared at the tiny item on his palm before clenching his fist slowly.

The injured man leaned back against the rough wall and eyed the door apprehensively, wondering when the men would be coming back. His face hardened as he contemplated his precarious situation. Taking another deep steady breath, he tried to calm his pounding heart as he waited, knowing that he had to be on his guard. This might not be a fight that he'd be able to win but he'd be damned if he made it easy for them.

The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

0325 hours

"Mother!"

"Xanindra!" Mylir cried as she bent down and enveloped her daughter in a fierce hug. "Thank the gods you're safe!"

The palace attendants watched the happy reunion, many openly crying, as the young princess was passed around from one delighted family member to another. After hugging his daughter, the king walked up to the young man standing a little apart from everyone and shook his hand, clapping his shoulder appreciatively.

"I'm so glad you were one of the volunteers out looking for her," J'ok exclaimed happily. "You have our eternal gratitude."

"It is my honour to be able to serve you, Sire."

J'ok looked back at Xanindra, his eyes suspiciously moist, as she talked animatedly to her mother and sister, each laughing and crying at the same time. He was extremely thankful for her safe return and that she looked none the worse for her experience. However, he was a little concerned when he noticed that she clung fast to her mother's hand and wouldn't let go, much to the distress of the palace doctors, who were trying their best to coax the child to go with them for the necessary medical examination. It was only after Xadria bent down and whispered something into her younger sister's ear that the young princess finally agreed to go with the medical team.

He heaved a sigh of relief as his youngest child disappeared down the corridor with the doctors; her mother and sister following close behind. Once they were out of sight, the monarch cleared his throat and turned back to the man who had rescued her.

"Xanindra mentioned that you encountered one of the kidnappers," he asked in low whisper. "Who was he?"

Ri'krd shook his head. 

"I don't know, Your Majesty. It was too dark to see. I knocked him out from behind."

J'ok nodded thoughtfully.

"Did you happen to see Commander Tucker anywhere?"

Ri'krd looked down at the floor.

"No, I'm afraid not, Sire," he grimaced. "Xanindra wanted me to go look for him but I was more concerned for her safety. I'm sorry."

"No, no!" J'ok said hurriedly, patting the young man on the shoulder. "Don't be. You did the right thing. K'lar and the rest of the rescue team should be in place by now. They'll find him."

Forest

Zenandria

0345 hours

Despite his best efforts, he must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew, someone was poking him painfully on one shoulder.

"Hey, you! Wake up!"

Trip struggled to open his eyes and squinted up at the speaker, temporarily overwhelmed by the panic that clawed at him. Swallowing painfully, he shrank back instinctively against the wall, even as he forced himself to remain calm at the sight of the two men who stood looking down at him, each with a cruel glint in their eyes. He didn't recognise the one on the left but his huge friend was the one who had made him that promise not too long ago. They were probably the ones who looked for and found Xanindra while the other two spent all that _quality time_ with him.

The one on the right elbowed the other and remarked with a harsh laugh, "Good, he's finally awake." 

"Yeah," his friend agreed, lips drawn back in a sneer. "Looks like we're going to have our fun after all, Gl'ot."

"Not just yet," a third man said harshly as he walked into the room. 

Trip's eyes flew to his face, recognising the man as the one who had held him down during his interrogation session. He watched guardedly as the newcomer stopped in front of both men, arms crossed, obviously in charge.

"He said to wait for his signal," the man bit out. "We wait."

"But, Hra'ak …" Gl'ot started but his protest died away at the icy glower from his superior.

 "No!" Hra'ak looked at both men with a warning in his eyes. "He has to get into place first. No one does anything until I say so, is that understood?" 

It wasn't until both men had sullenly indicated their agreement that Hra'ak was satisfied. With one last hostile glance at the prisoner, he turned on his heels and left the room. The door closed without a sound behind the big Zenandrian and Trip breathed an inward sigh of relief. At least he would only have to contend with two men instead of three. 

He kept a wary eye on the both of them as they conversed together in low voices in the middle of the room, not liking how they were looking at him. In all likelihood, he might not be getting out of this in one piece. On the other hand, he wasn't about to go down without a fight. Ignoring the intense stabbing pain that every movement seemed to generate, he slowly got onto one knee and waited for the right moment to present itself.

* * * * *

Hra'ak stood outside, staring moodily at the closed door. He didn't like what they had to do one single bit. They should have just left the human in the Conservatory where they found him. Sometimes, he wondered about his friend and his unhealthy fixation with the royal princess. His communication device beeped once, interrupting his thoughts, and he closed his eyes with a sigh. It was time. Putting his hand on the door, he pushed it open.

* * * * *

At his corner of the hut, Trip fought desperately to keep the feeling of terror at bay, one that had constantly loomed over throughout the whole experience and now threatened to swallow him whole. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he was both mentally as well as physically worn out from his ordeal. The dizziness and nausea aside, he was also shivering uncontrollably by now; this new development most likely brought on by the beginnings of shock. The fact that he had to bite his bottom lip to keep from groaning aloud each time he moved further depressed him and he looked down, blinking back sudden tears of pain.

The sight of his hands, which were already frozen and numb from the lack of circulation from being tied tightly together for so long, only served to remind him of how thoroughly defenseless he was. He sighed and closed his eyes, forcing himself to concentrate on all the people who were important to him, who mattered – his friends on Enterprise as well as his family and friends back on Earth, drawing whatever strength he could from those thoughts. 

Feeling less panicky after several deep breaths, he quickly ran the idea through his mind again, his eyes on the unlocked door. It was a risky move, with only the slimmest chance of success, but at the moment, he was desperate enough to try anything, knowing full well that unless the Enterprise crew found him soon, it was going to be his only chance of survival.

The moment came sooner than he liked it to be but he was ready for it. As the door started to swing open, he gritted his teeth against the pain and scrambled to his feet, moving as fast as he could towards it. Unprepared for such an action, Gl'ot and his friend could only stare in open-mouthed amazement as they watched Tucker slammed hard onto his side of door. It bounced violently back onto the man on the other side – who fell to the ground with a grunt, more than a little dazed by the impact.

Pushing the door aside, the engineer tried to take advantage of the moment to slip past the fallen man. But his injuries slowed him down and he watched, hope dying in his eyes, as Hra'ak recovered with surprising speed and stood up, his bulk blocking the opening once more. Taking a few unsteady steps backward, Trip immediately turned his attention the two men in the room with him, trying to keep the both of them in front of him as they advanced with clenched fists.

Standing still beside the door, Hra'ak turned his eyes away even as his fellow Zenandrians closed in on the injured man. Judging from the state Tucker was in; the whole thing should be over very soon. He took a deep breath and stared purposefully at the ground, away from what he knew would be the inevitable conclusion in this one-sided fray. His lips thinned as he mentally cursed their leader for this whole mess.

_This is it_, Trip thought, his heart pounding madly in his chest as the men drew nearer, blatant anger in their faces. They were walking silently and steadily towards him, their positions hemming him in. The Starfleet officer reared back, muscles screaming in protest, just as Gl'ot made the first move and took a swing at him. Moving and reacting purely on instinct by now, Trip swung his bound fists in a wide arc and stuck his attacker hard on the chin.

Gl'ot fell back, slightly stunned, even as his friend roared in anger and charged the engineer from the side. Before Trip could move out of the way, a hard fist smashed into the small of his back, causing him to cry out in agony. Unable to break his fall with his arms still tightly bound together, he fell hard to the ground, tasting blood once more. Too winded to get back on his feet, he tried to roll away but the first kick promptly immobilised him, and he lay there gasping for breath.

Other blows quickly followed. After the first few, Trip was too numb with pain to feel the subsequent ones. He lay curled up in a foetal position, protecting his head with his arms the best he could, as the men continued their brutal assault.


	14. Rescue

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Feedback: Would be so greatly appreciated! :)

A/N: I'd like to thank all you wonderful people for your amazing reviews and encouragement. You've all made this whole experience incomparable!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter Fourteen**

Forest 

Zenandria

0405 hours

They stopped for breath even as the young engineer's body went limp. Gl'ot bent over for a closer look.

"He's alive," he grunted. "Barely."

He took out his gun and aimed it at the unconscious man. "But not for long."

"No!" Hra'ak said angrily, stopping the other man before he could pull the trigger. "Put that away, you idiot! It must look as if Tucker was a victim of a random attack. He said we were to leave his body near the docks. This way, there should be nothing to connect him to any of us …"

* * * * *

Coming to rest on one knee at the back of the hut, Malcolm's eyes narrowed in anger as he heard a familiar name in the last few sentences. He peered cautiously through the hole in the wall and swore softly as he took in the scene in the hut, his fingers tightening involuntarily over his phase pistol. 

Commander Tucker was lying motionless on the ground while two Zenandrians stood over him. A third man stood slightly away, near the door. He appeared to be the one in charge. There was so much blood on the still figure that, for a moment, Malcolm felt the bitter certainty that they had arrived too late to save his friend. Cringing inwardly at the thought, he hastily pushed it away, reminding himself to stay positive. All the same, he said a quick prayer, and hoped that he was wrong. _You'd better not let me down now, Mr Tucker…_

Without taking his eyes off Trip, he raised a hand and gave a wave. Almost immediately, several dark figures appeared from the darkened shadows that surrounded the hut and adeptly moved into position. The entire operation only took a few short seconds but Malcolm knew, without having to look up, that the whole place was now totally surrounded by the twelve-member team.

Malcolm and his team had moved without delay the moment they'd received the exact coordinates from Enterprise over three hours ago. Unfortunately, the dense forest that covered the whole area had hindered their progress, causing the men to abandon their vehicles and to cover the last few kilometres on foot. Moving as rapidly as they could through dense vegetation, they soon came upon the small windowless hut, which was very well hidden by the thick bushes that grew nearby. It was so cleverly camouflaged that they'd almost missed it, if it weren't for the muted light that was spilling out from the slightly opened door. At Malcolm's signal, they had noiselessly made their way to the back of the building.

Now, forcing himself to look away from his friend's battered form, Malcolm took a quick glance around to make sure that the team was ready to move against the men inside. Crouched not too far away, K'lar looked towards him and raised his hand. Malcolm nodded grimly; acknowledging the silent hand motion as the indication that everyone was in place and ready for the next phase of the rescue. He peered through the hole again, taking note of the men's positions for one last time. Finally satisfied that there was no one else in the hut apart from the three Zenandrians, he turned and gave the much-awaited signal.

* * * * *

Gl'ot was aiming another kick at the Tucker's head when a soft sound caught his attention. He looked up, just in time to see Hra'ak give an almost imperceptible jerk before falling unconscious to the ground. Before he could even form a suitable reaction, K'lar and several other members of the tactical team were already in the hut, guns firmly in hand.

With a snarl of anger, Gl'ot raised his own weapon, but the next blast from the Head of Security's gun abruptly rendered him unconscious as well. At the same time, Malcolm turned his phase pistol on the third man with one smooth swing, before the Zenandrian could even turn fully towards them.

"Haven't you bloody heard?" the Armoury Officer said scathingly, his clipped British accent even more pronounced in his anger, as he watched the last man collapse without another sound. "This is not how you treat visitors to Zenandria."

* * * * *

"How is he?" Archer asked anxiously from the door. The journey from the royal palace had taken longer than he'd expected and Malcolm's initial report was alarming at best. He walked quickly into the hut, followed closely by T'Pol and Phlox.

Malcolm looked up from where he was kneeling beside Trip, his eyes filled with mute concern. 

"I'm afraid it doesn't look good, Captain," he answered quietly as he moved away to stand beside K'lar, watching as Phlox knelt down beside Trip and ran a quick scan down the still figure. 

Now that the Commander was finally in good hands, Malcolm forced himself to look away, knowing that at this point he needed to concentrate on other urgent matters. He looked across the room, to where Trip's former captors lay silent on the cold ground, under the watchful eyes of K'lar's men. All three were still out cold, their arms bound tightly together. Based on the uniform worn by two of the prisoners and the conversation that he'd overheard, Malcolm knew that immediate action had to be taken, as the whole incident was more serious than anyone had initially imagined.

Looking up, he met K'lar's gaze, and noted the similar shock and incredulity in the other man's eyes at the evidence before them. Shaking his head, the Head of Security opened his mouth, presumably to apologise, but Malcolm spoke first, keeping his voice low as he outlined his plan quickly and carefully.

K'lar looked unconvinced at first, but he eventually nodded in agreement and left the hut with his men, bringing along the three prisoners. As Foster and Zabel moved to stand guard beside the door, Malcolm turned his attention back to the doctor, just as the Captain knelt down beside the Denubolan.

Even in the muted lighting of the hut, Archer could see the severity of his friend's injuries. He looked on, brow furrowed in concern, as Phlox continued his examination, taking in the dark circles under the younger man's eyes; the left was almost swollen shut while a dark bruise encompassed the right. The gash on Trip's right temple looked open and raw and there were deep rope burns on his wrists. The wounds at his side and on his thigh looked the worst. It didn't help matters that blood was everywhere until he couldn't tell where they were coming from. 

"Doc?" Archer asked finally, the one single word representing all their fears, as the silence dragged on. There wasn't a single movement or sound in the hut; if he didn't know better, he'd have thought that Phlox and himself were the only two people left in the room.

Shaking his head at Trip's condition, Phlox finished his scans and then looked up, meeting Archer's eyes.

"It's not good, Captain. His outer injuries are severe but what concerns me most is that he's hemorrhaging internally."

"Can you stop it?"

"Not here, I'm afraid. We need to get him back to Enterprise or he may just bleed to death."

"The transporter?"

"It will be too big a risk, Captain," T'Pol spoke up. "The flares have just started over an hour ago."

Phlox nodded. "The Sub-Commander is right. Furthermore, Commander Tucker may be too weak to survive the transporter in his condition."

Archer stood up, his face harsh with worry. 

"Then we'd better start moving."

Sickbay

Enterprise

0725 hours

"Doctor?"

Phlox looked up as Archer walked in. For once, his cheery manner was absent, indisputably tempered by his concern for his patient.

"Captain," he greeted soberly. "I believe Lieutenant Reed has informed you about our discovery?" 

"Yes, Malcolm's running a check on it as we speak."

Phlox shook his head and said, "Commander Tucker was gripping it so hard I couldn't get his fist open until I gave him a muscle relaxant."

At the mention of the name of the very person he'd come to check up on, Archer glanced worriedly at the bed behind the doctor. 

"How's he doing?"

Phlox turned and looked at the man lying almost lifelessly on the biobed. Covered with multiple deep cuts and extensive bruises, with swathes of bandages around his wrists and ribs, the gentle rise and fall of Tucker's chest was the only sign that he was still alive.

"I'm sorry, Captain. Although his surgery went well, it's still too early to say. Lieutenant Reed and his team got to the Commander just in time. Any later…" he left the rest unsaid. 

Archer drew an unsteady breath as the doctor's unfinished words washed over him. Trip was more than just his friend, he was like the younger brother that he'd never had. 

_Any later…_

With an effort, he veered away from the bleak line of thought, forcing himself to pay attention as the doctor continued, "Whatever they used to shoot at Commander Tucker passed through him without hitting any major arteries but he has lost an inordinate amount of blood. I've managed to stop the bleeding, internally and externally…"

"But?" Archer asked when Phlox trailed off.

"He's running an exceptionally high fever and it has weakened him considerably," the Denobulan finished, his expression abnormally bleak. "I've been unable to bring it down; I believe it to be an allergic reaction to the drugs used on him. The sedatives seemed to have an adverse effect on human physiology."

Archer rubbed his hands wearily over his face. He could barely look at Trip's wounded form without reacting with an empathetic wince. With an effort, he reined in the urge to shake the unconscious man, just so that he'd show a small sign of life. A movement. A moan. A twitch. Something. Anything. Anything but this horrifying stillness. He looked up as Phlox spoke again.

"Only the next few hours will tell. I'm afraid it's all up to Commander Tucker now." 

Captain's Ready Room

Enterprise

0755 hours

The sound of the doorchime gradually filtered into his thoughts, startling him, and he realised that he had been staring uncomprehendingly at the same page since he picked up the PADD twenty minutes ago. The door chimed again and he gave himself a mental shake as he stood up, putting the PADD down on the table.

"Come in."

The door opened and Malcolm entered, his no-nonsense countenance grimmer than ever.

"What did you find out?"

"It was just as I had suspected, Captain," Malcolm replied as he handed over the item that was found in Trip's right hand, along with a PADD containing his report.

It only took Archer a few minutes to read what Malcolm had discovered. He examined the item in his hand for a moment and then looked back up at his Tactical Officer.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, Sir," Malcolm nodded. "I've already confirmed it with the Sub-Commander."

"And Hra'ak?"

"He verified what we already knew. But unless we get proof..."

"I know," Archer finished quietly. "We'll only have his words and nothing else. What about K'lar and his men?"

"K'lar's not too happy with it but they're ready. I've also made sure that no one else knows about our plan except for the king and queen."

Archer's face was dark as he moved towards to door.

"Great work, Malcolm. Get your team ready. We'll be leaving for the surface in ten minutes – we have a rat to catch."


	15. Unmasked

Disclaimer: Still there at Chapter One

Feedback: Would be so greatly appreciated!

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone, especially to plumtuckered. (Thanks for the encouragements!) Sorry this took a while. Was away for a week due to work. Hope that this chapter makes up for it. :)

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**Chapter Fifteen**

The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

0830 hours

"Why don't you just let us handle this matter?" K'lar asked with a scowl after Archer had finished speaking. "It is an internal problem after all."

Malcolm shook his head. "It ceased to be an internal problem the moment they involved Commander Tucker."

"Lieutenant Reed is right," Archer agreed. "The other problem is if he catches sight of any of you, he'll know. It'll make it harder to get him then."

"These are extremely serious allegations, Captain Archer," J'ok said grimly after a moment's silence. "Are you absolutely certain?" 

"Yes, King J'ok, I'm sorry to tell you that we are."

 "But you have no other evidence besides what you've just shown us?" Mylir spoke up, her dark green eyes troubled.

"Not yet, Your Majesty," Archer replied. "But I might have an idea how we can get it."

The Sapphire Room, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

0930 hours

He stood rooted at the main entrance for a moment, slightly taken aback by the presence of the three humans in the room. So, they were invited to the breakfast as well. Hastily masking his reaction, he walked into the room, greeting Archer as he did so. 

"I heard that you were the one who found the princess," Archer said after introducing both of his men. "Great work."

"Thank you, Captain Archer," he said, acknowledging it with a nod. He continued after a short pause, "I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your crewman."

"Thank you," Archer replied unsmilingly. "Commander Tucker was a good friend."

Delighted that they were obviously clueless about what really happened, he kept his face neutral as he asked several other appropriate questions._ The fools!_

"I hope you've caught the men that were responsible for this," he offered finally, pleased that he'd successfully kept the contempt out of his voice. 

"We did, actually," Archer responded casually. "I believe you know one of them."

The Captain's answer was not what he was expecting and his smile faltered momentarily before he managed to get himself under control. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" 

Archer nodded. 

"His name's Hra'ak."

"What?" he exclaimed, making sure that he injected the right amount of shocked incredulity into his voice. "My former Royal Guard?"

"Yes."

He was getting a little uncomfortable under Archer's steady stare when the Captain continued lightly, "In fact, he claims it was all your idea."

"He did what? That's ridiculous!" he scoffed with a harsh laugh. "He's probably the one who planned it all. Just ask the other two and you'll see."

He watched, more than a little suspicious, as Archer exchanged glances with his officers before turning back to him. What? What did he say?

"How did you know that there were three men? We never released that information."

"Err… I …" he licked his lips nervously. _Perhaps they aren't as stupid as I initially thought…_

"Well?" Archer asked, his face unreadable.

His eyes narrowed slightly at the Captain's tone of voice. _I think it's time I left…_ He frowned, arranging his features to appear as if he was insulted by Archer's line of questioning. Aloud, he said frigidly, "I don't know what you're talking about, Captain. Now, if you'd excuse me…"

He made to move past Archer but before he could do so, the men on each of Archer's sides took a step forward, effectively blocking his way. Startled by the hard look in their eyes, he took an involuntary step backward, and then stood there looking warily from one man to the other.

"By the way, where were you during the attack on Commander Tucker?" the tall, dark-haired man on Archer's left spoke up after a tense moment. 

Looking steadily at Lieutenant Reed, he noted the subtle anger in the man's unforgiving grey eyes, and knew without a doubt that he had to proceed with extreme caution. 

"Here, of course," he replied with a careless wave of his hand. "Where else would I be?"

A slight movement caught his attention and he looked past the three men, his eyes hardening at the sight of the two other Enterprise crewmen stationed by the front door. It took some effort but he managed to keep his anger from showing at the deliberate security move.__

"You know, it's strange that you should say that…" The casually spoken remark brought his attention back to Archer as the captain continued, "As far as we could tell, no one even remembered seeing you anywhere near here."

A slash of red coloured his cheeks before he managed to compose himself. He decided that being on the offensive was the best course of action right now.

"Are you insinuating that I had something to do with the attack on Commander Tucker?" he demanded, as his eyes flashed angrily.

"Of course not," Archer's tone was so soft that he had to strain his ears to catch every word. "We are not insinuating anything. We know you were behind it – all of it."

"What are you talking about?" he laughed derisively, as his heart started to pound erratically. "You're out of your mind!"

"Oh? You think?" Archer raised an eyebrow at him before drawing his attention to Reed, who was holding an item between his thumb and forefinger.

"Look familiar?" the Lieutenant asked bitingly.

* * * * *

Archer felt a rush of grim satisfaction as he watched a deep flush infuse the young man's face before he turned pale, his eyes widening in speechless alarm. Without thinking, his hand had reached up to his right pocket, where there were three similar buttons like the tiny one in Malcolm's hand. 

"I see that you do recognise it," Archer smiled coldly after a short tense silence.

Taken aback by sudden chill he got from the Starfleet Captain's smile, Ri'krd could only stand there as Archer continued, "I've been told that each member of a prominent family has their family crest embossed onto the buttons of their clothes. Since we've already checked with the other members of your family, I believe that this is yours, since it apparently came from this piece of clothing?"

Ri'krd sucked in an involuntary breath as the young man on Archer's other side held up the jacket that he'd worn last night. It was missing a small button from the left breast pocket. He'd changed out of it after realising that it was too dirty to be worn after his scuffle with the late Commander Tucker. Struggling to keep his face devoid of any expression, he fumed inwardly; incensed that he hadn't noticed the missing button until now.

Malcolm exchanged a quick look with Travis as they watched their captain neatly trap the man they all knew was responsible for the kidnapping and for Commander Tucker's current condition. It had taken all of his restrain not to hit the man the moment Ri'krd had set foot into the room. Now, the man looked as if he was contemplating on making a run for it. Malcolm shifted his weight from one leg to the other as he observed the young Zenandrian carefully, ready to counter any sudden moves that he might decide to make.

With a strangled sound, Ri'krd broke eye contact with the captain and looked away, thinking hard. For a fleeting moment, he thought about making a dash for the door. Then, sanity reasserted itself and he smiled contemptuously at the men in front of him. What do they have again against him? A button! It proved nothing.

He smiled slowly; his confidence restored, and took a step closer to Archer, who immediately put out a hand to stop his men from advancing as well. With unconcealed amusement, Ri'krd looked on as both men halted, looks of hesitation on their faces. They eventually withdrew without protest to their original positions after another glance from their captain.

Malcolm was especially tense and uneasy as they stood there, watching silently, as the Prime Minister's son dismissed them with his eyes before bending forward to speak in a low whisper to Archer. He struggled to catch what the other man was saying but all he got were the occasional words here and there. He took another cursory look at Travis but the slight tightening of the man's jaw told him that the ensign wasn't having much luck either in that area. 

Striving to conceal any emotion from showing, Archer stood still as he listened, Ri'krd's breath warm in his ear. It was a few minutes before the man stepped away, a sly smile on his face.

"One last thing," Ri'krd sneered as he widened the gap between Archer and himself. "It basically comes down to Hra'ak's words against mine. And who do you think is going to believe the words of a traitor?"

When Archer made no reply, he smiled wolfishly and gave the three a lavish bow. 

"Now, if you gentlemen would excuse me, I believe I have other matters that need my attention. Please, do pass on my regrets to the His and Her Majesty for my failure to join them for breakfast today."

He stepped past them and headed for the door.

"You're wrong, you know," Archer spoke up suddenly, stopping the other man in mid-stride. After a pause, Ri'krd turned back and faced them, a frown on his face.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes," Archer answered, walking towards him. "Until now, it did boil down to just your word against Hra'ak's."

Ri'krd opened his mouth and then closed it without saying anything, uncertain of how he should react. An icy hand seemed to have clamped itself over his heart and was squeezing it harder with each passing second.

"But you know what?" Archer continued calmly, raising an eyebrow. He moved closer and whispered into the younger man's ear, "_Not_ anymore."

Before Ri'krd could even think up a suitable reply, he was startled to hear his own voice booming back at him, echoing harshly throughout the hallways.

_Seeing that you went to all this trouble, Captain Archer, allow me to put your suspicions to rest. You were right, of course, I did arrange for the princess's kidnapping. Your crewman was just an extra bonus I picked up along the way. Consider it a … retribution … for the embarrassment I'd suffered when she picked him over me! Not that you would be able to prove anything – my men have seen to that. What you have is just a button, nothing more. The princess will be mine after this evening._

The deafening silence that followed enveloped them as they simply stood there, staring at each another. Only the flash of icy rage in Archer's eyes gave his real feelings away as he faced the man before him, whose mouth had gaped open in his face, which had gone even paler than before. The door opened and Ri'krd whirled around to see K'lar and the Imperial Guards entering the room, followed closely by the royal family and, finally, his father. Dakr'a's face was equally ashen as he looked, almost uncomprehendingly, at his eldest son.

"Oh, I forgot to mention one other thing," Archer continued and Ri'krd's head snapped back to meet the captain's glacial green eyes. "Your men did not manage to complete your orders, fortunately for us. Commander Tucker is still very much alive and he'll be more than happy to identify you once he's well enough."

Frantically, Ri'krd turned and looked at the group behind him, seeking out the princess. After glancing at him coldly, Xadria turned away, her face distant and expressionless save for an intense look of disgust. Knowing that all was lost, he looked back at Archer with a snarl even as his hand slipped into his right pocket.

"Interfering fools! You should have never come here!"

Amber eyes filled with hate, he leapt at Archer, knife in hand.

The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

1240 hours

"So that's why he arranged the princess's kidnapping," Hoshi mused, astonishment in her voice. "To play hero in rescuing her. But why go to all that trouble?"

"Zenandrians who perform heroic acts on behalf of the Royal Family are granted any requests that they may have," Travis replied as the three of them made their way towards the hall where the Ceremony of Choosing was taking place.

"Any request? So Ri'krd did all this just to…"

Malcolm smiled dryly as comprehension dawned on the linguist's face. "Yes, I believe he wanted to ask for Princess Xadria's hand in marriage as his reward."

"Which he did, with his heroic return of her sister," Travis commented. "They apparently grew up together, and he had always assumed she felt the same way about him as he did her. But when she didn't pick him as one of her five suitors…"

"He resorted to kidnapping," Hoshi finished quietly. "But what about the man Xanindra said she saw lying on the ground when he rescued her?"

"Who?" Travis frowned in confusion as he considered her question. His brow cleared. "Oh, him. That was Hra'ak. All part of Ri'krd's master plan."

"Hmmm, all that just to get the princess to marry him," Hoshi remarked. "I guess he really loved her after all, in his own sick twisted way, of course." 

Malcolm shook his head, his face skeptical. "I don't know if that was his only incentive. I highly doubt it though. Ri'krd's marriage to Princess Xadria would eventually hand him the power to the throne," he said dryly. "Especially if he got rid of her later on."

"My, my, aren't we the cynic," Hoshi teased lightly. 

Malcolm grinned at her as he opened the side door to the hallway. "Maybe. But I doubt I'm too far off mark this time."

"Well, I'm really glad that the Commander is finally out of danger. It's a pity that he had to miss all this," Travis remarked with a shake of his head. "Especially after what he'd been through."

"Don't worry," Hoshi smiled impishly as she preceded the men into the hall. "I brought his camera along. He won't miss a single thing."

The Royal Ballroom, The Royal Zenandrian Palace

Zenandria

1555 hours

They watched, smiling, as Xadria danced past in her new husband's arms, her face radiant. Malcolm's grin widened as he spotted Hoshi and Travis on the other side of the room, chatting happily away with several young Zenandrians. The update that they'd received on Commander Tucker a few hours ago had lifted a heavy burden from their hearts. It was a great relief to know that the Chief Engineer was going to be all right.  

"That was very clever of you, Captain Archer, to play upon his weakness." 

What Queen Mylir said as she joined them drew Malcolm from his thoughts and he listened with interest as she continued, "Even as a child, Ri'krd loved to boast about his achievements, no matter how trivial they were."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Archer replied with a nod. "It was something that Hra'ak said that gave me the idea."

"Yes, Hra'ak," Mylir said, her voice sorrowful. "A good man corrupted by his devotion to a spoilt young man. He had looked after and protected Ri'krd for so long that he had come to think of him as the son he never had. He never could say no to that boy."

"Until now," Archer added when the queen paused. She looked at him with a sad smile.

"Yes, until now. I'm very glad that he did. Finding out that Ri'krd was responsible was a bit of a shock to us all. Dakr'a and his wife were especially devastated. He wanted to resign but my husband managed to convince him to stay."

"He's a good man," Archer offered, glad that the Prime Minister was cleared of any wrongdoings earlier on.

"Yes, he is," Mylir agreed. "For what it is worth, Captain Archer, J'ok and I never believed that Commander Tucker was responsible for Xanindra's kidnapping. How is he, by the way?"

"His fever broke a few hours ago so he's finally out of the critical stage. But the doctor says that he'll be out till tomorrow at the very least…"

"And that's why you are all here," Mylir finished, smiling at the three officers. 

"You could say it was 'doctor's orders'," Archer said wryly. "I think we were driving him mad with our concern for Trip."

"Well, whatever the reason, I for one am glad that you were all able to accept our invitation," she laughed. "You certainly have a remarkable crew, Captain Archer. Enterprise must be a wonderful place to be. I can certainly see why the Commander declined my offer the other day."

Archer frowned, puzzled. He glanced at T'Pol and Malcolm but found no help in their equally blank expressions.

"Your Majesty?" 

T'Pol's eyebrow rose a little as Mylir replied with an enigmatic smile, "Perhaps you could ask Commander Tucker when he's well enough."

Seeing that the queen was not going to say anything else on that matter, Archer refrained from asking further, although he was incredibly curious about her cryptic remark. He sighed. Another item to add to the growing list of things that he needed to talk to his Chief Engineer about when he was better. He gave the queen a slight nod.

"I fully intend to, Your Majesty."


	16. Recovery

Disclaimer: Please see Chapter One

Feedback: One last time? Please?

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**Chapter Sixteen**

Sickbay

Enterprise

0755 hours

"I believe Commander Tucker is beginning to regain consciousness, Captain."

From what seemed like a great distance away, Trip heard the words but ignored them, too drained to even bother deciphering what they actually meant. He was drifting off again when he heard another voice calling out his name.

"Trip? Come on, Trip, wake up."

That voice. Somehow, he knew instinctively that it belonged to someone important to him, one whom he trusted completely. Fighting the temptation to just float away into the waiting darkness, Tucker stubbornly concentrated on the familiar voice as it continued to call out his name and forced his eyes open.

"Cap'n?" he whispered hoarsely as the various blurred images slowly sharpened into familiar shapes.

Phlox's face swam into view as the doctor greeted him heartily, "Ahh…, welcome back, Commander."

Squinting his eyes in reaction to the substantial pounding in his head, Trip watched with growing confusion as Phlox beamed down at him before continuing with his usual enthusiasm, "Glad to have you finally awake. You gave us all quite a scare. We'd almost lost you, you know."

"Can't … breathe," Trip wheezed painfully in reply, one hand clutching desperately at his chest.

"An allergic reaction. I expected as much," Phlox commented as he quickly filled a hypospray. He injected the contents into the side of the patient's neck and the engineer's laboured breathing slowly quietened. 

"There! Better?"

Still completely disoriented, Trip could only nod, staring blankly back at the Denobulan, as he tried to remember what he was doing in Sickbay. His brows drew together in a slight frown as his eyes slowly shifted to Archer, who had stood silently beside the doctor the whole time, his face a mask of worry.

"You … look … terrible, Cap'n …"

"Me?" Archer chuckled in automatic response, relief colouring his voice at his friend's comment. It was just like the Commander to focus on another's problems, as if he hadn't been fighting for his own life in the past 24 hours. "Have you looked into the mirror lately? How do you feel?"

"Tired," Trip mumbled, his blue eyes already glazing over. "And like … I'm 'bout ... to throw up." 

"Another one of the after-effects of the sedatives that you unfortunately came into contact with," Phlox explained, inordinately cheerful now that his patient was awake and relatively out of danger. "We managed to flush out most of it but I'm afraid you'll have to let whatever that's left in your system to take its course. The nausea you feel should go away in a few hours or so."

"How much do you remember?" Archer asked.

"Not much," Trip replied, his eyes closing from the throbbing pain. Even the dim lighting of Sickbay felt glaringly painful. "Wooden hut. Huge men … lots of trees."

"You suffered quite a severe concussion from the blows to the head," Phlox remarked as he turned away to fill another hypospray. "This may be the cause of a temporary memory loss. Not usual in this type of injury. However, it's nothing to worry about. You should remember everything as soon as the swelling goes down. Right now, it's time that you rest."

Archer nodded in silent agreement, watching as Phlox pressed the hypospray at the side of the injured man's neck. Trip's eyes closed in relief as the medication quickly took effect. Soon, he was relaxed in sleep. Archer looked from his sleeping friend to the Denobulan.

"Will he be all right, Doc?"

"Yes, with a little help and support from his friends," Phlox answered cheerfully. "I'm sure that Commander Tucker will be just fine, Captain, both physically and psychologically."

Archer exhaled, nodding. He guessed that was the best assurance he could get for now. It was now basically all up to the young engineer but at least Trip was back where he belonged. Pausing at the door on his way out, Archer met the doctor's gaze. 

"Please inform me when he wakes up again."

"Certainly, Captain."

* * * * *

"Will he be all right, Doctor?"

"Well, like I have assured Captain Archer, Lieutenant Reed, Ensigns Sato and Mayweather, the rest of the bridge crew _and_ the whole engineering team, who, for reasons I am unable to fathom, found it necessary to come down one at a time to enquire about the Commander's condition, Commander Tucker will be just fine, Sub-Commander," Phlox finally took a breath, much to T'pol's private relief, for the doctor looked suspiciously bluish for a moment.

"Good," T'pol replied in a neutral tone of voice, none of what she had been thinking visible on her face. The only reaction she'd showed during Phlox's vocal presentation was a slight rising of her eyebrow, her features remaining as expressionless as usual. Glancing down, she looked at the sleeping man, taking note of how particularly young and vulnerable he looked. It was … disconcerting. 

Although Captain Archer had made it clear to her that it wasn't her fault, she somehow felt responsible for the Commander's present condition. Knowing that he was going to be all right helped a little, although not by much. 

"Thank you, Doctor."

After one final look, she turned and left Sickbay, heading for her quarters. She had some meditation to carry out.

* * * * *

"Xanindra…"

"She's all right. She's safely back in the palace."

Trip relaxed noticeably at the news. He'd awoken half an hour ago to find the doctor leaning over him with a broad smile while Captain Archer stood slightly to his right. It was not unlike the first time he'd regained consciousness that for a brief moment he was overwhelmed by a strong sense of déjà vu. 

It wasn't long before all the memories came rushing back and he realised with a start how close he had come to losing his life, especially when Archer told him what had happened in the hut after he had passed out. Making a mental note to thank Malcolm and Travis for their timely save, he started to narrate some of his experiences to his listening friend.

"When I looked up–" he stopped, his head cocked slightly to one side as he stared vacantly at the wall behind the captain, distracted by a sudden thought. His eyes rounded as he recalled the elusive name. "Ri'krd! He's–"

"Dakr'a's son. Yes, we know. Don't worry, we got him. Thanks to the button that you managed to pull off his uniform. Right now, he's awaiting trial for treason, attempted murder and murder," Archer replied, unconsciously rubbing the sore area on his shoulder where Ri'krd's knife had nicked him before Malcolm and Travis had managed to pull the maddened man away. It was definitely too close a call. He could have sworn that his men, especially Malcolm, had looked suspiciously green for a short moment after the incident. 

Trip watched curiously as a play of emotions crossed his captain's face.

"How?"

"It's a long story," Archer stood up as he caught sight of Phlox heading towards them. "I'll tell you some other time when you're feeling better. Come to think of it, you have some answering to do as well."

Trip frowned at the last sentence.

"Cap'n?"

"Later, Trip."

"But–"

"Get some rest, Commander."

The wounded man puffed out a resigned sigh. 

"Aye, Sir."

* * * * *

Captain's Personal Log, Supplemental: It has been two days since the rescue and both Commander Tucker and the young princess are doing well, given what they just went through. In appreciation, Zenandria presented its highest civilian and military medals to all those who were involved in the search and rescue of Princess Xanindra. Commander Tucker, along with Sub-Commander T'pol, Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Mayweather, were among the Enterprise crew honoured in yesterday's hour-long ceremony. As the Commander was still under strict rest orders, I passed on his thanks when I accepted both our awards from His Royal Majesty. In addition, the entire crew was given an open invitation to return to the planet at any time.

The Royal Family has also requested that we extend our stay on Zenandria a little while longer as members of the family would like a chance to talk to the Commander when he was well enough. Although we were all extremely anxious to continue on our journey, I decided to comply with the unusual request. On the plus side, this gave some of the crew, especially those who did not get the opportunity to do so in the last few days, to have some much-deserved shore leave.

Sickbay

Enterprise

1105 hours

"You need to keep still, Commander, or you will aggravate your wounds further."

"But, Doc. It _itches_ …real bad!"

Phlox gave him what Trip have come to dub as _the_ _evil eye_ as the Denobulan looked unsympathetically back at him.

"Your wounds are healing, Commander, and very well I must say. That's why they tend to itch a little."

"Yer callin' this a little?!" Trip exclaimed incredulously, trying hard not to scratch but failing miserably. He was going to launch into another series of complaints regarding the bandages around his waist when he heard a giggle. Looking up, his face broke into a wide smile, all thoughts of his discomfort forgotten, at the sight of the young girl standing shyly at the door.

"Xanindra!" 

"Hi, Trip!" she greeted as she practically ran up to his bed. Phlox chuckled as he pulled up a chair for her and left them alone. Perhaps his young visitor would be able to help elevate the Commander's boredom due to being cooped up in Sickbay for the past two days.

They had been talking for only five minutes when he touched upon the very subject that she was hoping not to hear. Her face fell.

"So you'll be leaving soon…"

Trip looked at her and sighed.

"Come here," he patted the empty space beside him and waited until she had seated herself. "We've talked 'bout this already, remember?"

She looked at him gravely. "You will come back some day, won't you?"

"I can't promise you anythin' but if we're ever in the neighbourhood again, we'll be sure to pop in for a visit, 'kay?"

She nodded, returning his smile.  

"Good," Trip said, giving her a quick hug. "Now, tell me, what else have ya'been up to lately?"

* * * * *

"Hello, Charles."

Trip opened his eyes to find Princess Xadria standing beside his bed. For a moment, he just stared at her in surprise. He saw her parents this morning but no one had mentioned that she was coming in for a visit.

"Her Royal Highness requested a private meeting with you, Commander," Phlox said brightly beside her. He turned to the princess.

"Just to let you know, he is still rather weak–"

That earned him a glare from the patient. Impervious to it, Phlox continued cheerfully, much to Trip's annoyance, "Call me if you need any assistance, Your Highness."

"I will. Thank you, Doctor."

 Phlox nodded and then bustled away, humming to himself. Once they were alone, Trip cleared his throat. 

"So, how're things at the palace?"

* * * * *

"So, why, um … why'd you do it?"

She had the grace to look embarrassed at his question, as colour flooded her delicate features.

"It seems rather foolish right now but I just wanted to show my father that I had grown up, and that I was not his little girl anymore."

"By what? Selectin' a non-Zenandrian as a Royal Suitor?"

She gave a faint sigh and nodded. "It was never questioned that Ri'krd would be one of the five men I would choose when the time came. Our families have thrown us together since we were children, as it was my father's greatest wish that our families be joined in a royal marriage. For a long while, I went along with the whole charade, telling myself that I would eventually come to care for him. However, a few years ago, I concluded that I could never love Ri'krd, not the way he wanted me to, anyway."

Trip nodded, his eyes filled with understanding. "What happened after that?"

"Nothing," she answered simply. "I was unhappy but I had resigned myself to the inevitable. Royal duty precedes all else, you see. Then, I met you and your friends. And I thought that perhaps a little defiance might open my father's eyes to the fact that I could make my own decisions, especially ones concerning the heart. The truth is, he was right – in certain aspects. I still need some more time before I am indeed ready to govern my people, for decisions made in haste have brought about nothing good, as you can see. For what it's worth, I'm truly sorry for what happened to you."

"Thanks, Your Highness. But it wasn't your fault, y'know."

"Yes, it was. You almost died because of what I did," she said ruefully. "Not to mention that I could've lost my sister and eventually the throne to a mad man."

On impulse, Trip reached over and took her hand. She looked back at him, startled at his sudden move, but relaxed as he smiled disarmingly at her.

"Look, don't be too hard on yerself. None o' what happened was your fault. You couldn't have known that you had some crazed admirer waitin' to kidnap your sister, or me, in the process," he looked solemnly at her. He waited for her reluctant acquiescence before continuing lightly, "'Sides, some good did come out of all this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, you got the chance to try out pecan pie," he winked, causing Xadria to laugh in spontaneous response.

"You know," she mused after a comfortable silence. "It's a pity all my brothers are away at their respective training grounds. I'm sure they would've enjoyed meeting you."

"Oh, I'm sure the feeling would've been mutual," he assured her with a wry grin.

There was a quiet smile on Xadria's face as she studied the man before her. His bruises were still vivid although most of the serious swelling had gone down, particularly around his eyes. Dark purplish skin peeked out from under the bandages that still covered his wrists and abdomen but she was glad to see some colour returning to his all too-pale face, which was still covered with a patchwork of cuts and scratches. Curbing the strong urge to fidget, Trip was getting more than a little uncomfortable by her silent scrutiny when she finally spoke again.

"She is indeed a lucky woman."

He gaped at her for a moment before frowning in utter exasperation.

"For cryin' out loud! Do I have a sign pasted on my forehead or sum'n?!"

Xadria smiled and shook her head.

"Our people are just more sensitive when it comes to such emotions," she said, indicating her antennae. "These help. It's how we choose our lifemates."

"Oh … right."

"Does she know?"

"Nope." A pause. "At least, I don't think so."

"Will you not tell her?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided on anything yet. "Sides, I don't even know how she feels. It's … really complicated, y'know?"

"Yes. Would you like me to find out how she feels? It's the least I could do."

Trip studied his bandaged wrists as he thought the offer over. 

"Thanks," he said finally, looking up and meeting her eyes. "It's really awfully tempting but I think I'd rather find it out myself, the ol' fashioned way." 

Xadria gave a graceful nod as she stood up. 

"I hope it turns out well for you then."

"Thank you, Princess. I wish you plenty o' happiness too. Jh'ond is a lucky man."

With a smile of thanks, Xadria leaned down and kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"Goodbye, Charles Tucker the Third. It has been a pleasure knowing you."

"Same here, Your Highness. G'bye … "

Trip sat motionless for a while after the Sickbay doors had swished shut, using the quiet time to think things over. He was extremely thankful that everything turned out all right in the end, seeing that there were several intense moments where he was sure that it wouldn't, remembering the despair he'd felt during those times. He'd almost given up hope then; only the knowledge that there were people out there looking for him had kept him from doing so, and had kept him going.

He sighed tiredly. Although he wasn't lying when he told Xadria that he was fine, he hadn't counted on the exhaustion that seemed to envelop him, even at the lightest of activities. And no matter how much he'd enjoyed them, he knew that visits from Malcolm, Hoshi and Travis, just before the princess made hers, had also contributed to his overall fatigue. _Guess this means I can't get back to work jus' yet… Damn … _

With a soft groan, he lay back on the biobed, his eyes already closing. _I wonder if the doc would allow me to pay Engineering a visit though_, Trip thought drowsily as he drifted asleep. _ Think I'll jus' ask him … tomorrow ...  _

The End

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A/N: All done! Yay! :) I hope it was okay. Didn't expect the story to stretch to this many chapters. When I started, I thought it would only come up to, the most, about five chapters. You could say it kinda grew as I went along. Heh. Anyway, I really appreciate your staying with me till the end.

         Special thanks to plumtuckered, for being my very first reviewer and especially for your wonderful encouragement and support. [That was an extremely quick feedback on the last chapter. I had just only posted it when your review came back. O.O] Also to kittytripsin. Thank you both. Your stories are a source of inspiration to me.

         My grateful thanks also goes out to Tracy [Sorry I didn't visibly pair up Trip and T'pol – hints were there although it's basically up to the reader to decide who Trip was thinking about… :)], Lowenove, Phaser Lady, Exploded Pen, soultoast, invisigoth, Alison M. DOBELL and Amanda for your regular reviews. Also to myst123, papercut3, Aaunty Pasta, Obi-Wan Jenobi, Admiral Carly Corinthos, CJ, Trip & Calhoun's Girl, Bek, B.L.A. the Mouse, Deborah, DONNA B., Draconious, kas, Framling, groovychick, Lord January, ShuttlePod-1, sandykitten, maraschino, Me, novelwriter, pennie, pike2, Roper and sq1993. Thank you all for taking the time to read and review this story. Oh, advance thanks also to those reviewing this chapter. It wouldn't have been the same without all of you. 

         Lastly, to my beta reader, have I told you how much I adore having a younger sister? *hugs*

         The experience was nothing short of amazing. Thank you all once again for making it possible.


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